Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has been diagnosed with a left calf contusion and is considered questionable for upcoming games, Lakers coach JJ Redick said Monday.
Doncic, who left Saturday’s 103-88 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers early due to the injury, wore a thick bandage on his left leg after Monday’s practice.
Doncic was kneed in the left calf by Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic and did not play after halftime, which Redick said is a recurring problem for Doncic, who stands 6-foot-7.
“It’s happened several times this season,” Redick said, before adding that the team was looking for ways to protect Doncic’s legs in future collisions.
LA will travel to Phoenix on Tuesday to face the Suns before hosting the Houston Rockets on Thursday, Christmas Day.
Austin Reaves, who missed the Lakers’ last three games with a mild strain in his left calf, participated in practice on a limited basis and his condition will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis, Redick said. The same goes for Rui Hachimura, who missed the game against the Clippers due to a strained right groin.
The Lakers, however, received good news on Monday, with the return to training of center Deandre Ayton after two games of absence due to pain in his left elbow.
Ayton explained how he injured his elbow in the last game between the Lakers and Suns, struggling for a rebound against Suns center Mark Williams.
“It’s a physical sport,” Ayton said. I don’t know, the adrenaline was pretty strong and [j’essayais] to take the rebound and [je me suis] tangled in the fight for the ball and I think I just stretched it a little too much. That’s about it. A little tension, we checked. »
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