The Los Angeles Lakers are in the middle of an Eastern Conference road trip that features a few tricky matchups against teams with title-sized expectations. One of the more winnable games on the schedule is tonight’s visit to the Washington Wizards.
The Slovenian’s presence will surely have an impact on the result, and will certainly make life easier for the Lakers. With that said, let’s look at whether the superstar might play tonight.
Luka Dončić Will Play In Tonight’s Game Against The Washington Wizards
The Lakers’ Wednesday night loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers was a disastrous performance that almost came with severe long-term consequences. With 7:58 remaining in the first quarter, Dončić went down with a concerning injury.
The six-time All-Star had a scary incident where he stepped backward off the elevated court at Rocket Arena while shooting a three-pointer, rolling his ankle in the process.
Fortunately, Dončić returned to the floor with roughly 1:30 left in the first quarter, signaling the injury was not serious enough to sideline him. But according to the NBA’s latest injury report, there’s still some aftereffects from this tweak.
As of today, Dončić available to play against the Wizards. He was listed as questionable with left ankle soreness but his status has been updated. Austin Reaves is listed as out for tonight’s matchup as he continues to recover from a left calf strain that has kept him out since Christmas.
The Lakers have done a decent job of staying afloat despite several key player injuries this season. This group is currently 28-18 overall and sixth in a loaded West. Seven teams in the conference are ten games or more above .500, meaning that the race to stay out of the Play-In will be between several contenders.
Looking ahead, after the visit to the nation’s capital, the Lakers will get a day of rest before traveling to the Big Apple to face the New York Knicks on Sunday. The road trip subsequently ends Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets.
Dončić is putting together another All-NBA season, averaging 33.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.7 assists in 38 games of action. The 26-year-old has struggled at times on defense this season, but he is still a top-tier superstar, who the Lakers will need healthy when it matters most.
Against a 12-34 Wizards squad (albeit they have won two straight), it may be best for the franchise to go the conservative route and sit Dončić. This isn’t the first leg injury the Slovenian superstar has suffered this season, and it cannot be a recurring trend in the coming months.
