A massive scare hit the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night when Luka Dončić left the court with an ankle injury late in their 123-112 win against the Milwaukee Bucks, but his postgame update delivered a huge sigh of relief for the league-leading squad. Dončić, who has been absolutely powering the Lakers’ incredible 11-2 start and current seven-game winning streak, went to the locker room in the fourth quarter after Kyle Kuzma ran him over on a pretty careless closeout.
Luka’s Scary Fall, And His Even Scarier Impact
It was a cringe-worthy moment. Dončić landed on Kuzma’s foot on a follow-through and was immediately attended to on the court. He managed to shoot a free throw before heading back to the locker room and didn’t return. But postgame, the man himself kept it straight: “I’m good,” he told reporters. “Obviously, it’s painful a little bit, but I’ll be fine.” That’s the news Lakers fans needed to hear, because this dude is playing at an absolutely ridiculous level.
Just look at the numbers: with Dončić on the floor this season, Los Angeles has absolutely demolished opponents, outscoring them by 165 points in 395 minutes. When he sits? It’s a completely different story, as they’ve been outscored by 62 points in 229 minutes. That’s a staggering plus-19.3 net rating with him, compared to a minus-11.1 without him. The Lakers are posting an insane 131.0 offensive rating during his minutes. But it’s not just offense; their defense has also been significantly better with him, allowing 111.6 points per 100 possessions compared to 120.0 without him. Dončić is playing career-best defense, drawing charges (he’s got four, only Brandin Podziemski with five has more), grabbing rebounds, owning the passing lanes, and rotating perfectly to force turnovers. His 2.4% steal rate and 1.1% block rate are both career highs. This guy is literally doing it all.
Lakers’ Depth Shines Through
While those on-off numbers are wild and the Lakers are obviously thrilled Dončić avoided serious injury, it’s also worth noting this team isn’t a one-man show. They’ve already survived the two games he sat out this season, proving their depth and adaptability are legit. Austin Reaves went off for 43 points on Sunday to lead them past a really good Detroit Pistons squad. And back on October 28, they absolutely ran over the Los Angeles Clippers, winning 103-87, without Dončić.
It just goes to show that while Dončić is a supernova, an 11-2 record, including seven straight wins, doesn’t happen with just one player. Los Angeles is a seriously well-rounded group, and they’ve been getting huge contributions almost every night from their supporting cast. They’ll look to keep that incredible momentum rolling when their road trip wraps up Sunday against the Phoenix Suns. With Dončić’s reassuring update, the league knows this dominant Lakers squad is still fully loaded and ready to keep rolling.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.
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