The Los Angeles Lakers announced that superstar Luka Doncic has been ruled out of Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers with left leg soreness.
Doncic played 16 minutes in the first half, scoring 10 points with four rebounds, two assists and five turnovers on 3-of-10 shooting. He limped back to the locker room towards the end of the second quarter and did not come out for the start of the third, eventually being ruled out for the night.
It remains to be seen just how serious the injury is, but this is obviously not ideal for a Lakers team jockeying for seeding in a loaded Western Conference. The Lakers just finally got healthy for the first time all season with Austin Reaves returning, and now Doncic could be forced to miss some time.
In Doncic’s absence, LeBron James and Reaves would take on primary ball-handling duties while others like Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia would be in the mix as well.
Luckily, the All-Star break is just over a week away, which would give Doncic a week off if he doesn’t compete in the All-Star Game. Unless it’s just a minor injury and he winds up being OK beforehand, the Lakers will certainly express caution with the Slovenian star in the All-Star Game.
LeBron James loves everything about Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic has settled into L.A. nicely after the blockbuster trade last year, and a big reason for that has been his co-star LeBron James welcoming him. James recently spoke about his relationship with Doncic and how much he has enjoyed playing with and getting to know him.
“Just trying to lead by example, showing him the way, using my voice, using my example, using everything I can,” James recently said. “He’s now. It’s not like he’s next. He’s right now. I just love the kid. I love everything about him. I just want him to take his journey as far as he wants to go. And I’m happy to be a small part of his journey. Hopefully, he can take something from me.”
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