Luka Dončić, the NBA's leading scorer, exited the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Los Angeles Clippers at halftime due to a left leg contusion and did not return. The Clippers secured a 103-88 victory, their first home win since Halloween. Dončić finished with 12 points, five rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes.
The Los Angeles Lakers fell 103-88 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night in Inglewood, California, but the bigger concern for the Lakers was an injury to star guard Luka Dončić. The Slovenian, who leads the NBA in scoring at 35.2 points per game, played 19 minutes in the first half, tallying 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting (1-of-6 from three-point range), five rebounds and two assists. The Lakers trailed 54-39 at halftime when Dončić did not return.
Lakers coach J.J. Redick described seeing Dončić hobbling toward the end of the first half. "He came to me at halftime and said he couldn’t go… I don’t have any other information," Redick said after the game. The team diagnosed the issue as a left leg contusion, a deep bruise typically caused by impact without breaking the skin. Dončić had missed three games earlier this season with a similar lower left leg contusion, though reports indicate Saturday's injury is unrelated. He left the arena without speaking to reporters.
LeBron James led the Lakers with a season-high 36 points but noted the impact of injuries. "The worst thing about sports is injuries," James said. "Whoever is in uniform, we have to go out and execute at the utmost pace that we can." The Lakers were already shorthanded, with forward Rui Hachimura sidelined by a groin injury expected to keep him out 3 to 5 days.
For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard shone with 32 points and 12 rebounds, while James Harden added 21 points and 10 assists. Center Ivica Zubac, averaging 15.6 points and 11.1 rebounds, suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter and did not return; he is set for re-evaluation on Sunday.
