The injury-plagued Los Angeles Lakers delivered more disappointing news, ruling Luka Doncic out for Friday’s crucial matchup against the Denver Nuggets. This game marks the second night of a back-to-back and the conclusion of their four-game road trip.
Doncic’s absence is attributed to left calf injury management and a right ankle sprain. He had just tied his season-high with 45 points in Milwaukee on Thursday, March 13, but his performance wasn’t enough to prevent the Lakers from suffering their third consecutive loss.
The short-handed Lakers fell to the Bucks 126-106, and another loss—combined with a Houston Rockets victory over the injury-depleted Dallas Mavericks—could push them down to fifth place in the competitive Western Conference.
The Lakers’ injury struggles extend beyond Doncic, with Gabe Vincent (left knee injury management) and Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle injury management) listed as doubtful. Meanwhile, Trey Jemison III (illness) is questionable for the Nuggets game.
Additionally, the team remains without key players LeBron James (left groin strain), Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy), and Jaxson Hayes (right knee contusion), making them 6.0-point underdogs against the Nuggets at Wildz.
A Grueling Schedule: Three Back-to-Backs in a Week
The Lakers face a brutal stretch, playing six games in just eight days while dealing with multiple injuries.
“I don’t think I’ve ever went through something like that,” Doncic said after the loss in Milwaukee. “But at the end of the day, we’re getting paid to do that and there shouldn’t be any excuses that you’re tired. You live for this. Just gotta have great recovery after every game and just keep going.”
Despite his determination, Doncic now requires more recovery time.
“The mindset is we gotta keep going,” he continued. “We got three really important players out, so it’s always gonna be tough when there’s three or four starters out. It’s always tough… But the winning teams always go through something and we’re kind of experiencing that now. But we just gotta learn from it and go into the next game with the mentality that we could win this game and we want to win this game.”
The Lakers’ struggles began when James suffered his groin injury in Boston at the start of this road trip. In the 2018-19 season, a similar injury sidelined James for 17 games, derailing the Lakers’ playoff hopes. However, this time, they hope their recent stretch of 20 wins in 25 games will help them stay competitive.
Following this challenging road trip, the Lakers return home to face another tough schedule, with back-to-back games against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, March 16, and the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, March 17. They’ll then face the Nuggets again on March 19 and the Bucks on March 20, marking their third back-to-back set in a week.
Austin Reaves Must Step Up
With only four regular-rotation players available, head coach JJ Redick must rely heavily on Austin Reaves, who previously dropped a career-high 45 points in a win over the Indiana Pacers without James and Doncic.
Alongside Reaves, Redick will lean on Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, Jordan Goodwin (two-way), and Shake Milton. The remaining available players include Christian Koloko (two-way), Markieff Morris, Alex Len, Bronny James, and Cam Reddish.
