The Los Angeles Lakers will be without LeBron James for one to two weeks after the NBA’s all-time leading scorer suffered a groin injury in Saturday’s tough loss to the Boston Celtics.
Not only did the defending champs snap L.A.’s eight-game winning streak with a 111-101 victory at TD Garden, but the fact that James will now be sidelined for an extended period is even more bad news for the Lakers.
Unfortunately for L.A. fans, there’s more. Luka Doncic, who is expected to step up in a major way amid LeBron’s absence, is now also dealing with what appears to be a new issue.
The Lakers have already released their injury report for Monday’s contest against the Brooklyn Nets, and the bad news is that Doncic is also in danger of missing that one. This is after the 26-year-old guard was listed as questionable to play against the Nets due to a sore back.
While LeBron James’ injury is a tough break for the Lakers, his absence will be an opportunity for Doncic to show what he can do for his new team without James on the floor. Unfortunately, he is now dealing with a back problem that could bother him even if he ends up playing through the injury on Monday.
It is also worth noting that Doncic has been nursing calf, hip and knee issues over the past week or so, and it is clear that he is not a hundred percent healthy. Either way, the Lakers will be relying on him heavily in the next week or two with James sidelined. That is, of course, under the assumption that Doncic is able to suit up.
Jaxson Hayes is also questionable to play for the Lakers on Monday, while Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber are all listed as out.
