Luka Doncic played only 20 minutes of the Los Angeles Lakers' loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, prompting immediate concern over the superstar guard's availability for a challenging upcoming stretch of games.
Doncic was ruled out of Saturday's game with a left leg contusion, an injury he appeared ot pick up in a collision with the Clippers' Bogdan Bogdanovic late in the first quarter at Intuit Dome.
The Lakers went on to lose, 103-88, to the lowly Clippers.
"A source familiar with the injury told ESPN it was caused by a collision with Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic" via @mcten
— Iztok Franko (@iztok_franko) December 21, 2025
Here is this moment from 1st quarter when Luka got hit in his calf and was hobbling for the rest of the half after that. Https://t.co/mSUkm8bKNv pic.twitter.com/qBuCwHp8jv
The Lakers next play the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night before returning to Los Angeles to host the Houston Rockets as part of the NBA's Christmas Day slate. Before the month is out, the Lakers will host the East-leading Detroit Pistons.
That is three anticipated playoff teams in a span of seven days. And given how hotly contested the Western Conference has been this season, a Doncic injury now could be considered ill-timed.
What is Luka Doncic's injury?
Doncic suffered a left leg contusion on Dec. 20.
What is a leg contusion?
A contusion is an injury to the soft tissues. It's more commonly known as a bruise.
How long is Doncic out?
Doncic, the NBA's leading scorer at 34.1 points per game, missed three games earlier this season with nearly the same injury, which the team then labelled a lower leg contusion.
The Lakers' injury report lists him as "day-to-day." That technically leaves open the possibility that Doncic could return in Phoenix on Tuesday night.
But if Doncic's recovery is a touch slow, the Lakers may well hold him out until Thursday, when Kevin Durant and the Rockets pay a visit to Crypto.com Arena.
At any rate, this injury does not seem like it will keep the five-time All-Star out for too long.
Lakers schedule 2025-26
Here is the upcoming schedule for the Lakers.
| Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | National TV |
| Dec. 23 | at Suns | 9 p.m. | -- |
| Dec. 25 | vs. Rockets | 8 p.m. | ABC |
| Dec. 28 | vs Kings | 9:30 p.m. | — |
| Dec. 30 | vs Pistons | 10:30 p.m. | NBC |
| Jan. 2 | vs. Grizzlies | 10:30 p.m. | — |
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