The Los Angeles Lakers held Luka Dončić out of Thursday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, but it didn’t cost them the win.
With Dončić resting as part of his recovery from a calf injury that kept him out of action for 24 games, LeBron James, who was reported as questionable with foot injury management, and Austin Reaves led the Lakers to a 110-102 win.
James posted 40 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks, but also committed a career high-tying 11 turnovers. Reaves -0sted 32 points and seven assists, along with six turnovers.
Despite his absence, the team is happy with the progress Dončić has made and expects him to soon be able to play in back-to-back games, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein. Dončić scored 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting (1 of 9 from 3-point range) with 11 rebounds, eight assists and six turnovers in Wednesday’s 100-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
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James did not play in Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game due to foot and ankle discomfort, but did play in Wednesday night’s game. He appeared in six of the Lakers’ seven games in February leading up to the All-Star break, sitting out Feb. 8’s matchup with the Indiana Pacers.
LeBron James and Luka Dončić are dealing with injury management. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
(Ronald Martinez via Getty Images)
Forward Jarred Vanderbilt and center Maxi Kleber are both also out for the Lakers with right foot injuries.
Los Angeles lost its last two games before the All-Star break, but won six in a row and 12 of 14 before that.
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Dončić has played three games for the Lakers since the blockbuster trade with the Dallas Mavericks and returning from his calf injury. He’s averaged 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists, playing nearly 27 minutes per game thus far. His 36% shooting from the floor (21% on 3-pointers) shows that he’s working his way back into his typical All-Star form.
Prior to Thursday’s announcement, Lakers coach JJ Redick said that Dončić would no longer be on the minutes limit he was restricted to after his return.
“That extra five, six days of All-Star break was good for him,” Redick told the Associated Press. “His minutes will be up [Wednesday], and I don’t think that there’s going to be any sort of restrictions going forward.”
Dončić’s teammates understand that it will take a while for him to become familiar with the Lakers’ plays and to restore his game conditioning.
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“He still doesn’t know all the plays. He doesn’t know all the defensive coverages, all the signals and things that we’ve built up since September,” James said after Wednesday’s game. “Obviously, we’re trying to fast-track it on the fly. He’s coming back from his injury. He’s getting back into form, so we’re working through it together.”
For the season, the five-time All-Star is scoring 26.5 points per game with 8.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.8 steals, while shooting 34% on 3s in 25 games.
