When Luka Doncic suffered a bruise to his left leg and missed the entire second half in the team's 103–88 loss. Clippers on Saturday night at the Intuit Dome, he became the latest in a growing list of sick people Lakers.
Doncic played 19 minutes in the first half but did not return in the third quarter. He had 12 points, five rebounds and two assists at halftime. But Doncic struggled with his shooting, making four of 13 from the field and one of six from 3-point range.
Doncic finished as the NBA's leading scorer, averaging 35.2 points per game, and was third in assists, averaging 9.1. He paced the Clippers with 43 points last month.
“At half-time he told me he couldn’t go.” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I have no other information.”
Rui Hachimura missed his first start of the season with groin soreness, which is expected to keep him out for three to five days. Austin Reeves (left calf), Deandre Ayton (left elbow) and Gabe Vincent (tension in the lower back) are also absent.
The Clippers also lost a key player Saturday when center Ivica Zubac suffered a left ankle injury in the first quarter. Zubac, who has played every game this season and leads the team in rebounds and blocked shots, logged just 11 minutes.
The Clippers (7-21) entered the game with the worst record in the Western Conference. They have lost five games in a row: eight in a row at home and 10 of their last 11 overall.
They got off to a strong start Saturday, outscoring the Lakers (19-8) by 22 points, who cut their deficit to seven points in the fourth quarter before fading away. It was a season low in points for the Lakers.
Lakers star LeBron James hit several Clippers defenders during the Clippers' 103-88 win Saturday at the Intuit Dome.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“No matter the circumstances, it's still the next person,” said LeBron Jameswho led the Lakers with 36 points. “We're all professionals. We all have to be prepared. So, obviously our football club has very difficult circumstances tonight. But I think we played very hard. We followed our keys. We just lost.”
Kawhi Leonard scored 32 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers and James Harden scored 21 points and 10 assists.
Before the game, Redick wanted the Lakers to “just manage the game and play with the right attitude.”
But the Lakers trailed by 17 points in the first quarter and were unable to recover.
Redick said Hachimura was sidelined after experiencing hip soreness against Utah on Thursday night. Redick said Reeves “kept pushing himself” to return soon, and Ayton had a “swollen” elbow but did a “fast, intense individual workout.”
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer sits next to Bill Gates as he celebrates the Clippers' victory over the Lakers on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Redick said Reeves and Ayton could return to Phoenix on Tuesday.
After the game, Redick praised the Lakers for fighting well despite multiple injuries.
Jake LaRaviawith 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Nick Smith Jr., who scored nine points off the bench, helped keep the Lakers within striking distance.
But the Lakers struggled to score. They shot 39% (34 of 88) from the field, 16% (six of 38) from 3-point range and 61% (14 of 23) from the line.
“I thought all the guys, about 90% of them, brought it,” Redick said. “And we defended at a high level. Made it difficult for their stars… Yeah, just a very, very competitive group today and we're really proud of them.”
