Lakers superstar Luka Doncic will miss about a week with a left finger sprain and lower left leg contusion, the team announced Sunday morning.
Team sources told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin they’re optimistic Doncic won’t need more time beyond the initial one-week timeline.
“It just kind of was something that happened,” Lakers coach JJ Redick explained about Doncic’s leg injury after Sunday night’s 127-120 win at Sacramento.
“I wasn’t even aware of it after the game. I became aware of it, obviously, yesterday and overnight, whatever he felt from that hit, it just materialized. So obviously we want to be safe here.”
The injury comes at a terrible time for the Lakers, who are already playing without LeBron James. The NBA legend is sitting out the start of the season with sciatica in his right side.
Now they’ll also be without their scoring machine.
Doncic’s Record-Breaking Start
Doncic has been on fire to start the season. In Friday’s 128-110 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, he broke Jerry West’s 56-year-old franchise record for most points through the first two games.
After dropping 43 points in the season-opening loss to Golden State, Doncic poured in 49 points against Minnesota.
That’s 92 total points in just two games.
He also became the first player in Lakers history to start a season with back-to-back 40-point games. Only three other players in NBA history have accomplished this feat: Anthony Davis, Michael Jordan, and Wilt Chamberlain.
Pretty impressive company.
“We’re going to need offense from other guys,” Redick said about filling the void. “Everything’s got to be done within the framework of what we’re trying to do.”
The injury bug hasn’t just hit the Lakers’ stars. Center Jaxson Hayes also missed Sunday’s game against the Kings with left knee soreness – his second straight absence. The 7-footer rejoined the team this summer on a one-year deal.
Los Angeles faces a busy schedule during Doncic’s expected absence. They play Portland on Monday in the second night of a back-to-back, then hit the road to face Minnesota on Wednesday and Memphis on Friday before returning home to host Miami next Sunday.
