Muscle Injury for Doncic, Redick: “He couldn’t continue”
The win against Philadelphia takes a back seat: Luka Doncic left in the first half due to a left thigh issue and will undergo an MRI. The Lakers are keeping their fingers crossed
The Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Philadelphia 76ers (119-115) inevitably takes a back seat. All attention is on Luka Doncic’s injury, which forced him to leave the court late in the second quarter due to a problem with his left thigh.
The No. 77 limped off the court with 3:03 remaining before halftime and did not return after the break. Initially, the Lakers’ staff had described it as simple leg soreness, but post-game coach JJ Redick clarified that the situation will be further evaluated with imaging tests to determine the recovery timeline.
He felt discomfort in his hamstring and didn’t feel ready to come back. Even the medical staff wasn’t convinced, so we decided to stop him. Tomorrow he’ll have an MRI. It’s too early to talk about a proper injury, but there was pain
JJ Redick
A trio struggling to find continuity
The game against Philadelphia was only the tenth of the season in which Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves were all available. This figure highlights the continuity issues the Lakers have been facing.
LeBron had missed the first 14 games due to back sciatica, while Reaves returned only on Tuesday after missing 19 games because of a left calf strain. This latest setback now risks further slowing the team’s process of building its identity.
While waiting for the MRI results, attention in Los Angeles remains high: managing Luka Doncic’s health will be one of the keys to the Lakers’ season.