The Los Angeles Lakers managed a come-from-behind victory against the Philadelphia 76ers, but it was costly as they saw Luka Doncic exit with what was deemed lower leg soreness.
Doncic has managed to play through several leg ailments during the 2025-26 season, but hamstrings need to be treated with more caution as they’re more susceptible to re-injury. Austin Reaves was able to step up in his place offensively, but Los Angeles will obviously miss Doncic’s presence on the floor.
While the initial prognosis made it sound like he could suit up on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers ended up ruling him out. Prior to the game, head coach JJ Redick announced that Doncic is dealing with a mild hamstring strain and will be considered day-to-day.
“He’s got a mild hamstring strain. He’ll be out tonight and then day-to-day moving forward,” Redick said.
With Doncic dealing with a hamstring strain, his status for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game next week is in jeopardy, though Redick is leaving it open for the Lakers star if he’s cleared.
“I’ve been around him as a teammate and as a coach and I know he plays. If he’s able to play, he plays. I think he wants to be in the All-Star Game, I know he wants to play against Dallas the game before the All-Star Game. He has his team working on him day and night, so again, it’s day-to-day and when he’s ready to play, we’ll get him out there.”
Doncic playing in the All-Star Game seems like a bad idea on paper considering his history of injuries, but he’s adamant about playing if he’s physically able to. Los Angeles likely can’t say no to Luka if he lobbies to play but fortunately they still have time to make a decision.
However, the immediate concern is about the upcoming back-to-back set against the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. The Lakers can’t afford to drop too many games, especially against Western Conference opponents so there might be some pressure for Doncic to play.
Hopefully, Los Angeles gets good news on his hamstring, but his health needs to be the top priority. If he’s not 100 percent ready to go, then the team needs to protect Doncic from getting hurt further, especially since they will get eight days off during the All-Star break.
Luka Doncic named Western Conference Player of the Month for January
Luka Doncic’s injury is unfortunate because he had been on a hot scoring stretch the past few weeks. Doncic’s numbers in the month of January even earned him Western Conference Player of the Month.
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