PORTLAND — Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic will not play Thursday against the Trail Blazers because of left calf injury management, the team announced.
Doncic played 33 minutes in the Lakers’ 100-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday in L.A.’s first game out of the All-Star break, registering 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, but shooting just 5-for-18 with six turnovers.
It was just Doncic’s third game with L.A. after being out since Christmas Day when he suffered a left calf strain as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
“I’m just excited to come back and play,” Doncic said after the Hornets game. “I missed a lot of time. I’ve never missed this much time. So, it’s something new to me. But I was just excited to get back to playing.”
The Lakers announced that Jarred Vanderbilt is also out for the second night of a back-to-back against the Blazers because of right foot surgery management. LeBron James, who missed the All-Star game because of left foot and ankle discomfort, is listed as questionable for Thursday.
“It’s going to be something that we got to manage for the rest of the season and going into the postseason,” James said of his injury. “But I was happy I was able to get some days off and kind of be around the clock [with treatment].”
L.A.’s next two games hold extra meaning for Doncic. Saturday, the Lakers play on the road against the Denver Nuggets and Doncic’s close friend, Nikola Jokic. And Tuesday, the Lakers host his former team, the Mavericks, in the first game between the two teams since the Doncic-Anthony Davis trade earlier this month.
