The Los Angeles Lakers saw their win streak come to an end on Saturday night against the Boston Celtics despite a strong effort — 34 points and eight rebounds on 11-for-22 from the field — from Luka Doncic. But both of the Lakers superstars walked away from Saturday’s loss with injury concerns.
LeBron James suffered a groin strain and is expected to miss at least one to two weeks, maybe more. It’s his second groin strain as a member of the Lakers, and could take him out for a chunk of the remaining regular season, with the Lakers having just 20 games left. Doncic, as well, didn’t appear healthy by the end of the loss.
It was very clear throughout the course of Saturday’s game that Doncic was feeling some discomfort in his back. He was asked what that came from and if there was any concern moving forward, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I’ve been feeling it since that fall, so just dealing with it. But I’m fine… I’m good.”
Doncic took hard falls in both of the Lakers’ wins against the New Orleans Pelicans and L.A. Clippers, so it’s unclear which fall he is referring to and when he started feeling that pain. But either way, he clearly felt good enough to play against the Celtics, and played well despite the clear discomfort.
And with LeBron now out for what could be an extended period of time, it puts some added pressure on Doncic to be able to play. But, as always, the Lakers are going to be as cautious as possible, especially with how much breathing room they have ahead of the Play-In Tournament in the Western Conference standings.
If this means that both James and Doncic miss some time, then that’s what the Lakers will do. But, for now at least, it seems Doncic is going to continue playing through that discomfort.
Luka Doncic getting more comfortable in L.A.
Everyone was caught off guard by the Dallas Mavericks trading Luka to the Lakers before the deadline, including the superstar himself.
At the time of the trade, reports indicated Doncic had just bought a house in Dallas and had no desire of leaving the Mavericks. With that being the case, it has naturally taken some time for Doncic to get used to his new surroundings and team.
One thing that has stuck out to Doncic is the Lakers’ chemistry though, which has helped him with the process of getting acclimated.
Doncic is clearly starting to get comfortable and according to recent reports, he has leased a house in L.A. and has already begun thinking about his long-term partnership with the Lakers.
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