The Los Angeles Lakers opened their season with a 119–109 loss to the Golden State Warriors, and while the scoreboard didn’t favor them, Luka Dončić gave fans plenty to cheer about — and one reason to worry. The Slovenian superstar delivered a masterful performance with 43 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists, nearly single-handedly keeping L.A. in the game. But late in the contest, Dončić appeared to tweak his groin, sparking concern about his health just one game into the season.
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Luka Dončić: “It’s Probably Nothing”
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After spending extra time in the training room postgame, Dončić emerged to downplay the injury.
“It’s probably nothing,” Dončić said. “Just felt it a little bit because my hip went [the opposite] way. Felt it a little bit, but it’s probably nothing.”
While his comments offered some reassurance, they also left the door open to continued monitoring — especially given his heavy workload. Dončić logged 41 minutes, more than any other player on the court, and accounted for over half of the Lakers’ total points between his scoring and assists.
This marks the first time Dončić is beginning a full season as a Laker, and with LeBron James sidelined for several weeks due to sciatica, the team will lean heavily on his playmaking.
An Electric But Costly Night For Lakers
Despite battling discomfort, Dončić was brilliant inside the arc, shooting 15-for-17 on two-pointers and 13-for-14 in the paint, per ESPN Research. His outside shooting, however, was less efficient at 2-for-10 from deep, mirroring a team-wide struggle as the Lakers went just 8-for-32 from three.
Defensively, Dončić looked more agile after his offseason conditioning transformation.
“I think I’m getting better on the defensive end,” he said. “I’m just trying to get more involved, more communication [with my teammates].”
Redick Calls Out Familiar Problem
First-year head coach JJ Redick pointed to a familiar issue that plagued the Lakers last season — their slow third-quarter starts.
“The trend I see is that we continue to be a terrible third-quarter team,” Redick said. “That was last year. That was the preseason. Gotta rethink some things.”
With two days off before facing the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, the Lakers hope to regroup — and for Dončić’s “probably nothing” injury to stay that way.
