The Los Angeles Lakers ruled out NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic due to back tightness for Wednesday night’s rivalry game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome, the team announced.
The decision came on the second night of a back-to-back slate for the Lakers, who also held out starting forward Ziaire Williams because of left foot soreness, ESPN reported. Rookie guard Cameron Carr and second-year forward Adou Thiero remained sidelined as well, according to Lakers Wire.
Doncic has been on a scoring tear through the first week of the season, pacing the league with 36.0 points per contest alongside 6.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists while converting 48.4 percent of his field goal attempts and 39.6 percent from beyond the arc. Just 24 hours prior, the guard tallied 41 points and nine assists in a 136-129 home defeat against the Portland Trail Blazers. Two nights before that, he erupted for 52 points and 10 assists during a 132-123 win against the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers elected to take a protective stance with their primary playmaker. According to reporting from Dan Woike of The Athletic, cited by Lakers Wire, team officials opted for caution regarding the guard’s back condition, and there is “no longterm worry about his health at this time.”
Rosters depleted on both sides
The Clippers dealt with their own extensive injury report entering Wednesday’s matchup at their new home arena. Forward Rui Hachimura was scratched due to left quad soreness, elevating Kobe Sanders into the starting lineup for the first time this season, according to ESPN. Hachimura had posted 16 points against his former club five days earlier in a 125-117 Lakers victory at Crypto.com Arena.
Beyond Hachimura, the Clippers were forced to navigate Wednesday without Bradley Beal, Brandon Ingram, Jordan Miller, Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Max Strus, Lakers Wire reported.
Williams had also provided steady production for the Lakers prior to his foot ailment, averaging 11.3 points per game and shooting 46.7 percent from 3-point range across the opening stretch, according to Lakers Wire.
Early-season records on the line
Both Los Angeles franchises entered the evening seeking to rebound from recent stumbles. The Lakers held a 3-1 record following their initial setback against Portland. In that Tuesday loss, Los Angeles took a 73-68 lead into halftime before Portland outpaced them 68-56 in the second half, sealing the win with a closing 15-8 run, The Big Lead reported. Austin Reaves notched 26 points and seven assists, while Sandro Mamukelashvili provided 17 points off the bench in the defeat.
The Clippers entered at 1-2 after dropping two straight games, most recently a 108-101 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. In that game, Darius Garland led the offense with 16 points and 11 assists, while Brook Lopez and Kris Dunn each contributed 15 points, according to The Big Lead. Dunn added five steals and two blocked shots, and Derrick Jones Jr. scored 11 points.
Looking ahead, the Lakers are scheduled to travel to San Francisco for a matchup against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Friday. It remains to be seen whether Doncic and Williams will be cleared to return to the floor for that road contest.
