Luka Doncic was upgraded from out to day-to-day with a back and torso issue on Monday morning. The Lakers play at Atlanta tonight, and his status for that game is not announced.
What happened
Luka Doncic moved from Out to Day-To-Day on the injury report at 10:42 AM ET on Monday, Nov. 9. The listed injury is Back · Torso. The report gives an expected return of Nov. 9, the day of the Lakers' game in Atlanta. Trevor Lane of LakersNation.com reported that Doncic was ruled out for Sunday's game at Detroit because of lower-back tightness. The same issue has moved through several statuses this month. He was Day-To-Day on Saturday, Nov. 7, and Out on Sunday, Nov. 8. He was also Out on Oct. 28 and Day-To-Day on Oct. 29.
What it means for the Lakers
The Lakers (9-2, first seed, five straight wins) play at the Hawks tonight at 7:00 PM ET. Doncic averaged 40.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists in 35.9 minutes over nine games last season. Los Angeles is 7-2 with him and 2-0 without him. In the games he missed, Austin Reaves played 36.2 minutes and scored 25.3 points. Walker Kessler gave them 31.0 minutes and 14.4 points. Quentin Grimes played 26.1 minutes, but he is Day-To-Day with a finger and arm issue. Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Jake LaRavia, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton also covered minutes.
What to watch
The next update on Doncic is not announced. The report lists Nov. 9 as his expected return, but Day-To-Day means he is not ruled out and not cleared. Watch the pregame status before the 7:00 PM ET tip in Atlanta. Grimes' status is also open, which affects the guard rotation if Doncic sits. Given how this issue has changed from day to day, any new report could change his availability.
Is Luka Doncic playing at the Hawks?
His status is not announced. He is Day-To-Day with a back and torso issue as of 10:42 AM ET Monday, and the report lists an expected return of Nov. 9, the date of the game at Atlanta (7:00 PM ET).
When will Luka Doncic be back?
The injury report lists an expected return of Nov. 9, the day of the Hawks game. He is Day-To-Day, so no firm return is announced.