On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled for a matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
The Lakers didn’t waste any time with the status of Luka Doncic. The veteran star was ruled out, as the Lakers made the call as early as Monday night.
Over the weekend, the Lakers went head-to-head with the Los Angeles Clippers. As they struggled against the Clippers in the first half, Doncic went back to the locker room without a return to the court.
When the Lakers came out for the start of the second half, Doncic was noticeably absent. The team ruled him out for the remainder of the game due to a leg contusion.
When the Lakers practiced on Monday in preparation for their matchup against the Suns, the head coach, JJ Redick, noted that the MVP-caliber guard was not a participant. Fortunately, there wasn’t exactly an alarming update on Doncic’s setback. Redick simply considered him day to day at this time.
Early on in the 2025-2026 NBA season, Doncic missed three games in a row after appearing in both of the Lakers’ opening matchups. He returned to the court for LA’s Halloween matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.
For most of the 2025-2026 season, Doncic has been healthy and available. His most recent absences in early December were due to personal reasons. Before his early exit on December 20, Doncic appeared in four games in a row, averaging nearly 40 minutes of action.
Throughout his first full run with the Lakers, Doncic has appeared in 21 games. Seeing the court for 36.6 minutes per game, he is currently averaging a career-high 34.1 points per game, while shooting 45 percent from the field.
Along with his scoring, Doncic has averaged 8.6 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.6 steals. After dealing with setbacks and a major in-season trade last year, Doncic is back on track to become an All-Star once again.
The Lakers are hopeful he’ll be back on the court soon enough. With Doncic out of the lineup on Tuesday in Phoenix, he will target Thursday’s Christmas Day slate for a potential return. The Lakers will tip off against the Houston Rockets at 8 PM ET.