UPDATE: Doncic is available.
The Los Angeles Lakers are on a two-game losing streak and recently lost LeBron James for at least a week with a groin strain. Luka Dončić alone wasn’t quite enough to lead Los Angeles to a win on Monday against the Brooklyn Nets, despite Dončić dropping his second triple-double in the purple and gold with a 22-point, 12-rebound, 12-assist game.
Tomorrow’s nationally-televised clash against the Milwaukee Bucks is a significant one, given that the Lakers are one game behind the Denver Nuggets for the second seed in the Western Conference and tied with the Memphis Grizzlies, with the Houston Rockets just one game behind. The middle of the West is crowded, and Los Angeles would assuredly prefer to be either the second or the third seed than have to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, they might not have their biggest star, since Dončić was listed as questionable with an ankle injury for the contest. He has usually been listed on the injury report ever since joining the team with various ailments, though, and has missed just one game since his debut, which came on the second night of a back-to-back, so Los Angeles fans shouldn’t be overly concerned, even though the ankle issue appears to be a new concern.
In a small sample size without Dončić, the Lakers are outscoring opponents by just 1.3 points per 100 possessions, although most of those minutes included James. Brooklyn outscored Los Angeles by six with Dončić on the bench on Monday.
James and Rui Hachimura remain out, as does Jaxson Hayes, who will miss his third straight game with a knee injury. On Monday, the Lakers started Dončić alongside Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, Austin Reaves, and Alex Len, but with Dorian Finney-Smith now off the injury report, expect Los Angeles to start Vincent, Knecht, Reaves, Finney-Smith, and Len if Dončić can’t play.
