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- Luka Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, left the Lakers’ game against Philadelphia in the second quarter because of left leg soreness and did not return.
- Doncic’s exit raises concerns for the Lakers about All-Star’s immediate availability, although he’ll get imaging on the leg Friday, coach JJ Redick said.
- Austin Reaves, who was playing in his second game after returning from a 19-game absence, scores 13 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter.
The biggest news for the Lakers on Thursday was that All-Star guard Luka Doncic was unable to play in the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers because of a sore left hamstring.
Doncic left the game in the second quarter, and the Lakers announced he wouldn’t return in the third quarter. However, the Lakers were undaunted by Doncic’s departure, coming back from 14 points down and holding on for a 119-115 win by following the lead of Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and a strong defensive effort led by Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Reaves led the Lakers with 35 points, scoring 13 in the fourth quarter to spark a comeback win in their first game back home after 16 days on the road. But the good vibes were tempered by the team’s concern for the health of Doncic.
“He felt some soreness in his hamstring so he didn’t feel like it was good enough to go back in, neither did [our medical team],” coach JJ Redick said. “So, we held him out and they [are] going to do some imaging. It’s too early to say if there’s an injury, but just had a sore hamstring.”
Reaves, playing in his second game after coming back from a left calf strain, made back-to-back three-pointers and two free throws to open the fourth quarter, giving the Lakers a six-point lead they never lost. His three-pointer later in the quarter gave them a 13-point advantage that grew to 16 late in the game.
“It’s always the first, like, four minutes of the game when you haven’t been playing too much, you get tired fast,” Reaves said. “And then after that, your second wind kicks in, the adrenaline kicks in [a] game like tonight and then you just focus on trying to win the game.”
Reaves did all his damage in 25 minutes off the bench.
“We’re just going to keep him on a 25-minutes limit if he’s going to score 35,” Redick joked. “He was unbelievable tonight. His drives — I know he made threes tonight and hit a couple that were pretty incredible — but his drives and his thrust. … He got to the free-throw line. He got in the paint and made plays and scored at the rim. It was great to see.”
James had 17 points and 10 assists while Hachimura, who started the third quarter in place of Doncic, had 14 points, including a game-sealing dunk with 12.3 seconds left. Hachimura helped the Lakers stay the course after their lead was trimmed to two points with 27 seconds left.
Earlier, Doncic pulled up lame after he tried to throw a pass to Maxi Kleber that resulted in a turnover with about 3:45 left in the second quarter. Doncic turned to run back on defense and grabbed the back of his left leg. He went up and down the court several times, grimacing in pain. When Redick called a timeout, Doncic stayed on the court bent over. He gingerly walked to the bench and then to the locker room.
The Lakers are sending Gabe Vincent and a second-round draft pick to Atlanta. With about $60 million in projected salary-cap space, L.A. is in position to make major moves this offseason.
Doncic had 10 points, four rebounds and two assists. He entered the game leading the NBA in scoring, averaging 33.4 points, and second in assists, averaging 8.7.
The Lakers (31-19) were returning from their Grammys trip, playing eight games that started in Denver last month and ended in Brooklyn against the Nets on Tuesday night.
The Lakers’ test not only was facing a 76ers team on a five-game winning streak, but also finding the energy to keep pace. Redick said he hoped his team got “plenty of sleep” before playing Thursday night.
Reaves returned Tuesday after he missed 19 straight games because of a left hamstring strain. After he played 25 minutes in that game, Redick said Reaves was “good.”
“No issues and we’ll get a little more minutes allocated to him, just over the restriction,” Redick said.
But 25 minutes actually proved perfect.
Meanwhile, more help is on the way. The Lakers announced in the third quarter that they acquired shooting guard Luke Kennard from the Atlanta Hawks for Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round draft pick.
The Lakers love that Kennard’s shooting can create space on the court for Doncic, James and Reaves. Kennard, a 6-foot-5 guard, is shooting an NBA-best 49.7% from three-point range over 46 games, all off the bench. He has shot 44.2% from three-point range during his nine-year career.
Kennard was at the Lakers’ practice facility Friday and told ESPN radio he hopes to play Saturday at Golden State.
The status of Doncic, however, is uncertain.
“I talked to him a little bit at halftime,” Reaves said. “I walked by him and asked him if he was OK. He kind of just looked at me and I had to go play. So, hopefully nothing major. We need him. He’s our best player and the engine of a lot of the stuff that we do. Yeah, so, hopefully we get good news.”
