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Dennis Schröder #17 of the Sacramento Kings dribbles past Marcus Smart #36 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center on October 26, 2025 in Sacramento, California.
Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schroder will not take the court on Monday night when his team faces Luka Doncic’s Los Angeles Lakers.
The German will be serving the second of his three-game suspension, which he received this past weekend for reportedly “confronting and attempting to strike” Doncic after the last Lakers versus Kings game on Dec. 28. During that contest, Schroder had 11 points and seven assists, while Doncic had a game-high 34 points and seven assists.
Schroder also sat out Sunday’s 111-98 win over the Houston Rockets, when DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine combined for 40 points to upset Ime Udoka’s team.
Schroder vs. Doncic Feud
During the now-infamous Dec. 28 game, Schroder and Doncic jawed at each other on the court, but things took a turn for the worse postgame when the Kings guard approached the Slovenian in the tunnel at Crypto.com Arena. According to sources close to the Lakers, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Doncic was “stunned” when Schroder approached him and threatened to strike him for trash-talking him earlier in the night.
Fortunately, security personnel intervened before Doncic and his father left in their nearby car, while Schroder was dragged away by his teammates. According to ESPN, Kings coach Doug Christie demanded answers from Schroder for his erratic behavior.
“Forty minutes after the buzzer, Schroder went after Doncic, telling Doncic that he can’t call him a “b—-” on the court and pretend everything is fine off the court. The NBA concluded that Schroder attempted to strike Doncic,” Slater reported on Sunday.
“Lakers center Deandre Ayton tried to drag away Schroder from the confrontation while a stunned Doncic attempted to exit as security intervened.”
Lakers Injury Report Vs. Kings
In a positive update for the Lakers, Austin Reaves is the only player listed on the injury report for Tuesday night’s clash against the Kings. The Lakers enter the game as heavy 9.5-point favorites, per DraftKings, to snap their two-game losing streak.
The game will mark the return of starting forward Rui Hachimura after a six-game absence due to a calf strain. Hachimura will be on a minutes restriction amid Jake LaRavia’s impressive showing in his new role. According to Lakers head coach JJ Redick, LaRavia may continue as the new starter going forward.
“I haven’t made any decisions and he’s gonna be on a minutes restriction when he comes back, so he’ll likely come off the bench,” Redick said, via LakersNation.
“Similar to what we did with AR when he was on a minutes restriction, so his minutes are gonna be determined, if he is available whether it’s tomorrow, Tuesday, he’ll be available this week and figure it out but he’ll likely come off the bench given he’s gonna have a minutes restriction.”
Hachimura, shooting a career-high 44.5% from three, will provide a huge boost for a Lakers team that ranks 25th in the league in 3P% and 24th in made threes.
“I mean, he’s our best catch-and-shoot guy, he’s one of the best guys in the league,” Redick said of Hachmirua while expressing excitement about his return.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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