Things haven’t gone the Los Angeles Lakers’ way on Saturday night.
In addition to falling behind by double digits early against the lowly Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers learned that their star point guard, Luka Doncic, had suffered a troubling injury that could spell doom for the organization.
“Lakers say Luka Doncic has a left leg contusion and will not return to tonight’s game against the Clippers,” ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported on X/Twitter before the start of the third quarter.
Losing to the Clippers is the least of the Lakers’ concerns, as the franchise would still maintain the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference.
The more significant issue would be losing Doncic for an extended period. The Lakers want to prove that they’re contenders during the first stage of the 2025-26 season, but it’ll be challenging to do so moving forward if Doncic is forced to sit out several games.
In October, Doncic was out of the Lakers’ lineup for two weeks due to the same lower-body setback, which could signal that the five-time All-Star’s health isn't in the best place.
Los Angeles has the assets necessary to avoid a lengthy losing streak, but competing without its No. 1 playmaker would likely result in a less potent offensive attack.
Hopefully, the league’s top scorer (35.2 points per game) will bounce back swiftly and continue to assist the Lakers in their championship pursuit.
More NBA: Mavericks predicted to cut ties with Klay Thompson via historic eight-team trade to Warriors