Luka Doncic is out for Wednesday's game at the Clippers with a back injury, according to the official injury report. The Lakers will play without their leading scorer for the first time this year, and Ziaire Williams is also out.
What happened
Luka Doncic will not play Wednesday against the Clippers. The official injury report, updated at 4:31 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 28, lists him as out with a back injury. He had no status before this entry. His only earlier appearance on the report came Oct. 16, when he was listed day-to-day for rest and cleared the same day. The report's comment reads: "Doncic (back) is out for Wednesday's game against the Clippers." The report lists Oct. 30 as his expected return. No other details on the back injury have been announced.
What it means for the Lakers
The Lakers are 3-1 and fifth in the seeding. They lost their last game, and they play at the Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET Wednesday. Doncic has played all four games. He averages 36.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists in 35.5 minutes. The Lakers are 3-1 with him and have not played a game without him. Austin Reaves carries the next-biggest load at 36.3 minutes and 26.5 points. Walker Kessler averages 31.5 minutes and 15.8 points. Ziaire Williams, at 28.4 minutes, is also out with a foot injury. That leaves Quentin Grimes (24.3 minutes), Matisse Thybulle (23.8), Sandro Mamukelashvili (22.7), Jake LaRavia (17.4) and Collin Sexton (16.7) to absorb the minutes.
What to watch
The next injury report will show whether Doncic is still on track for his listed return date of Oct. 30. No further timeline has been announced, and nothing has been said about how serious the back injury is. The Lakers' report also lists Williams (foot), Cameron Carr (oblique) and Adou Thiero (knee) as out, so the rotation is thin for Wednesday's game at the Clippers. Any change to those statuses will shape how the minutes are split.
Is Luka Doncic playing at Clippers on Wednesday, Oct. 28?
No. The official injury report lists him as out for Wednesday's game against the Clippers with a back injury.
When will Luka Doncic be back?
The injury report lists Oct. 30 as his expected return. No other timeline has been announced.