The Los Angeles Lakers received some pretty big news on the injury front ahead of their upcoming game against the Chicago Bulls when it was announced that LeBron James was upgraded to questionable. It’s obviously not a guarantee that James plays, but the Lakers should have at least one half of their star duo on the court. Luka Doncic missed the Lakers’ game against the Milwaukee Bucks , but he should be back in the lineup.
Luka Doncic was oofficially listed as probable on the Lakers’ injury report for their Saturday game against the Bulls. Against the Bucks, Doncic was one of several players who sat out on the second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers are in the midst of a tough part of their schedule with little time for practice days.
In addition to Doncic, Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jarred Vanderbilt, all of whom sat out against the Nuggets, were upgraded to probable. Rui Hachimura was also upgraded to questionable while Gabe Vincent was downgraded to questionable.
James has missed the Lakers’ last six games with a groin injury while Hachimura has been sidelined for the past nine games with a knee injury.
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Doncic’s return to the lineup is much-needed as the Lakers continue to battle for playoff positioning in a tough Western Conference. At 43-26, the Lakers are currently in fourth place in the West and a half game behind the Nuggets.
Doncic has appeared in 16 games for the Lakers since the trade, at a little over 34 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 26.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.9 steals with splits of 40.5 percent shooting from the field, 34.2 percent shooting from the three-point line and 77. 1 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Although Doncic has clearly transformed the Lakers’ offense, he’s also been a big part of their defense which ranks among the best in the league.
