1 day Ago By Jarrod Castillo
LOS ANGELES - Luka Doncic headed to the locker room immediately after a scary injury in Game 5 of the Los Angeles Lakers' playoff matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves. With about one minute remaining in the second quarter, Doncic drove to the basket and was met by two Timberwolves defenders. As he went up for the layup, Donte DiVincenzo and Rudy Gobert contested his shot, with both men landing on Doncic's right shoulder and the Slovenian star landing on his knee.
He immediately grabbed his lower back and remained on the floor for many moments before gingerly getting up. He then hit two free throws and was substituted out of the game as he headed straight to the Lakers' locker room to be tended to by Los Angeles' medical staff. And while Doncic's injury looked serious, it appeared the tough fall did not hinder his willingness to keep playing hard.
Doncic continued to chase rebounds and drive into the lane though it was clear the 26-year-old was clearly affected by the play, as he labored around the court. When he didn't have the ball in his hands, Doncic walked around on offense and was spotted grabbing his lower back, as a result of the foul. Despite how serious the play looked, Doncic was willing to do whatever it took to get back on the floor to support his teammates and play a part in a potential comeback.
TNT reported that Doncic was administered tape on his lowerback underneath his jersey as he attempted to play through the pain. It was also reported that both LeBron James and JJ Redick were awaiting Doncic's status in the hallway, as they hoped to hear good news regarding the star. As Doncic labored, the fans in attendance were behind their star the entire way.
When Doncic hit a 3-pointer with just over nine minutes remaining in the third quarter, Crypto.com Arena erupted in joy at seeing their hobbled star doing whatever he could to will the Lakers to a win. This latest ailment is just another in the Lakers' tough two-game stretch.
In Game 4, Redick elected to play his starters the entire second half, a gamble which failed spectacularly as the Lakers returned to Los Angeles in a 3-1 deficit and playing for their playoff lives. Before the game, Redick spoke to reporters on just how difficult it is to be a coach in a playoff setting, especially as the Lakers attempt to extend their season for at least one more game. "Yeah, I think it's hard to play playoff basketball," Redick began to reporters .
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99 a month and you can cancel anytime. "The other team's trying to take away your flow and rhythm, and you've got to sort of sometimes create stuff. So I like the way that we moved the basketball.
There was probably, from that stretch in the third quarter, more connected plays. "Even some of the shots we missed, the process was really good. There was multiple passes, bumps, body control, and it's hard to do, and it's hard to sustain.
Whether you play five guys or not, it just is. "And it requires multiple efforts on the defensive end, and everybody coming back to rebound. So that was a good stretch for us.
You've got to be able to do it for a full game, whatever you're supposed to be doing.".
