The Los Angeles Lakers will travel to Portland on Thursday evening for their second game since the All-Star break. Their return to action began with a disappointing home loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, marking their second consecutive defeat against a team near the bottom of the league standings.
Luka Doncic Ruled Out For Los Angeles Lakers, Blazers Game
Playing the Portland Trail Blazers on the second night of a back-to-back raises concerns about the Lakers’ potential injury situation. Unfortunately, as reported by Jovan Buha of The Athletic, those concerns have been validated. Both Luka Dončić (managing a left calf injury) and Jarred Vanderbilt (managing recovery from right foot surgery) will be sidelined for the game against the Blazers. They join Maxi Kleber on the injury report, who has yet to play since being traded from the Dallas Mavericks while recovering from right foot surgery.
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Meanwhile, LeBron James is also listed as questionable for the game due to left foot injury management. James expects the injury to require load management for the rest of the season.
Dončić’s performance in his first three games with the Los Angeles Lakers, following the impactful trade from Dallas, hasn’t quite reached the level of offensive explosion many anticipated. However, it’s important to consider that he is still recovering from an injury that sidelined him since Christmas Day. Furthermore, he is adapting to a new team and offensive system that, while now featuring him, still largely revolves around LeBron James.
The Lakers and Blazers are slated to tip things off at 10:00 PM ET from Portland.