![\"Luka](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2248140825-e1766441313795.jpg\")
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Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers is day to day with a lower calf contusion. <\/p>\n
A concerning image of Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/a> making his way off the court with a heavy wrap on his lower left leg has quickly become a focal point for the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> after their 103\u201388 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers<\/a> on Saturday night.<\/p>\n Multiple photos of Don\u010di\u0107 with his leg tightly wrapped circulated on social media following the game, prompting immediate concern among Lakers fans.<\/p>\n Luka Doncic has his left calf\/lower leg taped up at Lakers\u2019 practice pic.twitter.com\/BEIJ933Okx<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Khobi Price (@khobi_price) December 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js<\/a><\/p>\n Coach JJ Redick<\/a> confirmed Monday that Don\u010di\u0107 suffered a lower left leg contusion, but stressed that the injury is not considered serious.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019ll be day to day,\u201d Redick told reporters<\/a> after practice.<\/p>\n Luka Doncic has a wrap on his left leg after practice Monday. JJ Redick said Doncic was evaluated since the Clippers game and a left calf contusion was confirmed. pic.twitter.com\/GObi91V3Nv<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js<\/a><\/p>\n Collision With Bogdan Bogdanovi\u0107 Forces Early Exit<\/p>\n According to ESPN\u2019s Dave McMenamin<\/a>, Don\u010di\u0107 sustained the injury after a collision with Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovi\u0107<\/a> late in the first half at Intuit Dome. Don\u010di\u0107 was visibly hobbling before halftime and informed the coaching staff that he could not continue.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw him hobbling toward the end of the first half,\u201d Redick said<\/a>. \u201cHe came to me at halftime and said he couldn\u2019t go.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u010di\u0107 left the arena without addressing reporters.<\/p>\n The injury appeared unrelated to a similar contusion that sidelined Don\u010di\u0107 for three games in late October, though the visual similarities sparked concern.<\/p>\n Don\u010di\u0107 Struggles Before Injury as Lakers Fall Behind Early<\/p>\n Before exiting, Don\u010di\u0107 endured one of his toughest halves of the season. He scored 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting, including 1-for-6 from three-point range, while committing four turnovers. The Lakers trailed 54\u201339 at halftime.<\/p>\n Entering the game, Don\u010di\u0107 was leading the NBA<\/a> in scoring at a career-best 35.2 points per game, while also averaging 9.1 assists, 8.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals.<\/p>\n His absence left the Lakers thin offensively, particularly with Austin Reaves<\/a>, Gabe Vincent<\/a>, and Deandre Ayton<\/a> also sidelined by injuries.<\/p>\n LeBron James Shoulders Load as Lakers Short-Handed<\/p>\n With Don\u010di\u0107 unavailable, LeBron James<\/a> was the lone remaining star for Los Angeles. The 40-year-old forward delivered a season-high 36 points on 15-for-28 shooting, nearly willing the Lakers back after they fell behind by as many as 22 in the third quarter.<\/p>\n James helped cut the deficit to seven early in the fourth before the Clippers pulled away.<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter what the circumstances are, it\u2019s still next man up,\u201d James said<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re all professionals. We all got to stay ready.\u201d<\/p>\n James also reflected on the broader toll injuries can take.<\/p>\n \u201cThe worst thing about sports is injuries,\u201d he said. \u201cYou control the controllables, but whoever is in uniform has to go out and execute.\u201d<\/p>\n Lakers Monitor Don\u010di\u0107 Ahead of Suns Matchup<\/p>\n The loss dropped the Lakers to 19-8, fourth in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is scheduled to conclude its four-game road trip Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns<\/a>, with Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s availability uncertain.<\/p>\n Redick said the team will evaluate Don\u010di\u0107 daily.<\/p>\n Injury Comes Days After Historic Performance \u2014 and Generosity<\/p>\n The timing of Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s injury was particularly jarring given his recent brilliance. Just two nights earlier, he recorded a season-high 45-point triple-double in a 143\u2013135 win over the Utah Jazz<\/a>, his third triple-double of the season.<\/p>\n That performance came days after Don\u010di\u0107 made headlines for a different reason \u2014 an extravagant holiday gesture<\/a> that underscored his growing leadership role within the organization.<\/p>\n \u201cHe got everybody in basketball operations,\u201d Redick revealed<\/a>\u00a0last week. \u201cI think it was 103 total gifts. Very, very high-end e-bike.\u201d<\/p>\n Based on current retail pricing, Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s gifts \u2014 Pedal Electric All-Wheel Drive S models for players and H\/T models for staff \u2014 carried an estimated total cost exceeding $340,000.<\/p>\n Now, with the Lakers navigating injuries and a rugged stretch of the schedule, the focus shifts from generosity to availability \u2014 and how quickly their superstar can return to full strength.<\/p>\n For a team built around championship aspirations, Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s health remains paramount.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlder Almo<\/a> is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 20 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lakers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers is day to day with a lower calf contusion. A…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365428,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85],"class_list":["post-365427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/365428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}