LA Lakers star Luka Doncic was limited to 15:57 minutes of playing time on Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers. According to reports, the star guard sustained a left hamstring injury. It happened in the second quarter, and he left the game before the end of the first half.
Fortunately for the Lakers, they avoided a major blow to Doncic. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported on Friday that the star guard didn’t suffer anything serious. McMenamin’s report is based on the team’s initial optimism regarding the six-time All-Star’s injury.
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However, he noted that Doncic remains doubtful on Saturday, as the Lakers are set to face the Golden State Warriors.
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Doncic left the game with 10 points on 3-for-10 shooting. Luckily, the Lakers had Austin Reaves back for his second straight game following a calf strain. Reaves’ 35-point game propelled the team to a 119-115 win over the 76ers. STar forward LeBron James added 17 points and 10 assists.
After the game, Reaves spoke about his co-star’s injury. The undrafted guard was hopeful that whatever Doncic suffered wasn’t anything serious.
“Hopefully nothing major. We need him, he’s our best player and the engine [for] a lot of the stuff we do. Hopefully, we get good news tomorrow, and I wish him nothing but the best,” Reaves said.
Even coach JJ Redick gave an update on the NBA star. Redick revealed what led the Lakers to decide to sit him for the rest of the game.
“He felt some soreness in his hamstring. He didn’t feel like it was good enough to go back in and neither did medical, so we held him out,” Redick said on Thursday.
The coach also confirmed that Luka Doncic will undergo an MRI to determine the seriousness of the injury.
Brian Windhorst says Luka Doncic’s MRI results will determine how it will affect the Lakers
The Lakers need a healthy Luka Doncic. Generally speaking, the entire team’s system revolves around Doncic. Doncic is the source of the team’s offense, averaging 32.8 ppg (leads the league) on 47.3% shooting.
On Friday’s episode of ESPN’s “Get Up,” league analyst Brian Windhorst detailed how the MRI results will affect the Lakers.
“It really comes down to, is this a mild strain, a first-degree?” Windhorst said. “If that’s the case, the All-Star break comes next week, and he could be back without missing too many games. If it’s a more serious Grade 2, now you’ve got a bigger problem.”
Luka Doncic has been the most reliable star for the team. Both Reaves and LeBron James have missed several games due to injury. Doncic, meanwhile, has only been out for eight games.
Edited by Reign Amurao
