SACRAMENTO — Lakers guard Luka Doncic will be out at least a week with a sprained left finger and a bruised lower left leg, the team announced Sunday before a road game in Sacramento.
The star guard injured his finger early in Friday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. That didn’t slow him down at all, as Doncic finished with 49 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in a 128-110 Lakers victory. The 26-year-old is off to a brilliant start as his 92 points in the first two games are the record in Lakers history to start a season.
The Lakers announced that Doncic would be re-evaluated in about a week, but it would be a busy time without the five-time All-Star. Already without LeBron James as the 40-year-old suffers from sciatica, the Lakers play four games in six days this week. After Sacramento on Sunday, the Lakers (1-1) return to Los Angeles to face Portland on Monday and will play away games in Minnesota and Memphis on Wednesday and Friday respectively.
The Lakers will be down to nine players on standard contracts Sunday, with center Jaxson Hayes also ruled out due to left knee soreness. He will miss his second consecutive game. James and attackers Maxi Kleber (abdominal muscle strain) and Adou Theiro (knee) are also absent.
