After defeating the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers are now winners of three straight. Furthermore, with a 43-25 record, they are just one game behind the Houston Rockets for the No. 2 seed.
Despite being without LeBron James for nearly two weeks as he recovers from a groin injury. The Lakers are holding their own. A major reason for this is Luka Doncic, who recorded 31 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in the victory over the Nuggets.
If the Lakers want to win a championship this year, Doncic and James are both crucial to the team's success. However, as they prepare to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, the team made an announcement regarding Doncic that will be important to keep an eye on.
Doncic has only missed one game for the Lakers this month and has appeared in 16 games for the team since last month's blockbuster trade. However, as the Lakers look to play it as safe as possible heading into the postseason, Doncic has been ruled out against Milwaukee for injury management on his sprained right ankle.
Lakers star Luka Doncic will not play tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks as he continues to manage a sprained right ankle, sources told ESPN. Thursday marks the final game in L.A.'s brutal six games in eight days stretch of the schedule. LAL has gone 3-2 so far.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 20, 2025
Given that the Lakers are already without James, this will be a tough obstacle for the team to overcome. In their absences, the Lakers will likely rely more heavily on players like Austin Reaves.
With less than a month left in the season, it is important for the Lakers to gain as much momentum as possible heading into the playoffs. Hopefully for them, Doncic will return to the court sooner rather than later.
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This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 10:32 AM.