The Los Angeles Lakers are listing Luka Doncic (left finger sprain) and Jaxson Hayes (left knee soreness) as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Sacramento Kings.
LeBron James (right sciatica), Adou Thiero (left knee surgery recovery) and Maxi Kleber (abdominal muscle strain) continue to be ruled out due to their injuries. James isn’t expected to make his season debut until the middle of November at the earliest.
Doncic hurt his finger early in Friday night’s win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He had it taped up in a splint for the rest of the night, and it didn’t seem to affect his play as he scored 49 points to lead the Lakers to their first victory.
With James already out of the lineup, the Lakers have relied on Doncic heavily to start the season and he has answered the call, averaging 46 points per game. They have their first back-to-back coming up starting Sunday in Sacramento before returning home to play the Portland Trail Blazers though.
Doncic will surely do everything he can to be in the lineup for both games, but his status will be worth monitoring given the questionable tag for Sunday.
The same can be said for Hayes, who was a late addition to the injury report and eventually ruled out of Friday’s game against the Timberwolves. Without their backup center in the lineup, the Lakers went small at times and found success with Jarred Vanderbilt at center in the victory.
If the preseason was any indication, the Lakers typically err on the side of caution this early in the year to keep the bigger picture in mind.
Luka Doncic makes history in Lakers’ first two games
Lakers star Luka Doncic entered the record books in the first two games of he season as he became the first player in franchise history, and just the fourth in NBA history, to score at least 40 in each.
Doncic joined Anthony Davis, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to do so and his 92 total points are the third-most ever through two games to begin a season.
“It’s felt great,” he said. “I wish we would have won the first game but obviously it’s a good comeback. I think Minnesota is a great team. We had to do a lot to win today, but myself, I feel great. I want to win every game.”
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