When it rains, it pours for the Los Angeles Lakers.
They were already without Austin Reaves (calf), and now, it seems like they will have to get by without their best player for a while.
Luka Doncic left the lopsided loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 21 at halftime and didn’t return. When asked about the state of the injury, Lakers coach JJ Redick didn’t offer much information.
Lakers to keep an eye on Luka Doncic’s left leg
“I don’t have any other information,” Redick told the media after the game. “He came to me at halftime. I saw him hobbling toward the end of the first half. He said he couldn’t go. That’s all I have.”
Doncic had 12 points, five rebounds and two assists in 20 first-half minutes before leaving.
LeBron James took the reins of the offense in Doncic’s absence, finishing the game with a season-high 36 points.
Even so, the Lakers couldn’t keep up with the struggling Clippers, losing 103-88 at Inglewood.
Besides Reaves and Doncic, the Lakers are also dealing with injuries to Deandre Ayton (left elbow) and Rui Hachimura (right groin).
They’re 19-8 for the season and in fourth place in the Western Conference, but with the Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves trailing them by one and 1.5, respectively, they can’t afford to have Doncic miss time.
Per Basketball Reference, the Slovenian superstar is averaging a league-leading 34.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 3.4 three-pointers per game on 45.8/32.0/80.7 shooting splits.