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Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Dončić is expected to be sidelined for at least a week with a left finger sprain and lower left leg contusion. Dončić was initially listed as questionable for L.A.’s game against the Sacramento Kings Sunday night, but will instead head to the injury list.It’s unclear when the injury occurred, but it’s a another big blow for a Lakers team that is already without LeBron James, who is dealing with sciatica and has no timeline for a return. The absence of James was certainly felt in L.A.’s season-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors, but Dončić’s heroics carried the Lakers to a blowout win against the Timberwolves. Dončić’s play through the first two games is nothing short of MVP-level. He is averaging 46 points, 11.5 boards and 8.5 assist in his first two games. In a win of 128-110 over the Timberwolves he nearly had a triple-double. With Dončić expected to miss a week, that means he’ll miss matchups against the Kings, Trail Blazers, Timberwolves, Grizzlies and Heat. James has not been updated in recent times, so the Lakers are likely to be without their two star players for a long time.
With Dončić and James out, that means Austin Reaves will slide into the No. Lakers’ No.1 option will be Austin Reaves. It means that Rui Hachimura will have a larger scoring role, as he is having a career high start to the season (16 points and three rebounds). That also means will see a bigger scoring role for Rui Hachimura, who is off to a career-best start to the season (16 points, three rebounds).In regards to who will fill that vacancy in the starting lineup with Dončić out, JJ Redick could keep the three-guard lineup by putting Marcus Smart in there. Jake LaRavia, who is a big man and can shoot well, could also be included in the starting lineup. Regardless of who Redick puts out there, though, it’s going to be an uphill battle for at least the next week without both Dončić and James.
The Lakers will have a difficult road ahead, especially in the Western Conference where one bad week can make or break their chances of making the playoffs. This seems silly to say, given that the season is only one week old. However, the Western Conference can be a real challenge.
2025-10-26 19:54:52
