UPDATE: Luka Don\u010di\u0107 has been downgraded to out vs. the Warriors due to a left hamstring strain.<\/p>\n
Luka injured his leg during LA\u2019s recent game against the Sixers and had to exit the contest.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s not good that Luka will be missing action, the overall sentiment seems to be that his injury won\u2019t force him to miss a large portion of the season.<\/p>\n
With the All-Star break coming up, perhaps Luka can use the time off from regular-season play to heal his body and get ready for the final stretch of the year.<\/p>\n
Also worth noting, Luke Kennard is questionable for this contest, as his trade to the Lakers is still pending. LA sent Gabe Vincent to Atlanta in exchange for Kennard<\/a> as the team\u2019s sole transaction prior to the NBA trade deadline.<\/p>\n Lakers fans can breathe a sigh of relief as it\u2019s looking like Luka Don\u010di\u0107 will be okay after exiting LA\u2019s recent contest against the Sixers<\/a> with a hamstring injury.<\/p>\n After the win<\/a>, Lakers head coach JJ Redick didn\u2019t have an update on Luka, but he did say that Don\u010di\u0107 would get an MRI to indicate the severity of the injury.<\/p>\n The Lakers haven\u2019t officially given a statement on their superstar guard, but Dave McMenamin of ESPN is reporting that there\u2019s optimism that the injury is not a major one.<\/p>\n Luka\u2019s importance to the Lakers cannot be understated.<\/p>\n He is their best player and the NBA\u2019s leading scorer, averaging 33.4 points per game. LA playing without him for an extended period of time would make winning that much harder.<\/p>\n Also, if he were to miss significant time, the Lakers would once again be playing shorthanded. Now that Austin Reaves is back, there was hope that the Lakers could have their entire rotation healthy for the first time since mid-December.<\/p>\n Luka has dealt with hamstring injuries before. As a Dallas Maverick, he suffered a hamstring injury late in the 2022-23 season that forced him to miss some games.<\/p>\n Hopefully, this update means Luka will miss little to no games due to this injury.<\/p>\n While Luka avoided a worst-case scenario, this injury does put his first All-Star appearance as a Laker<\/a> at risk. Luka was named a starter for the game, but with it taking place on Feb. 15, he might choose to rest his body rather than play against Team USA.<\/p>\n If Luka does miss some additional regular-season games, it will hurt chances of remaining eligible for the NBA\u2019s end-of-season awards. Currently, Luka has missed seven games due to injury<\/a>. He can only miss 10 more games to remain eligible.<\/p>\n Still, even if he does miss some time, it doesn\u2019t seem like it will ultimately derail his season or the Lakers\u2019 chances of competing in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n The Lakers are currently fifth in the West, but just three and a half games back of the No. 2 seed.<\/p>\n You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88<\/a> or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social<\/a>.<\/p>\n