Back tightness keeps Doncic on the bench
Luka Doncic will watch the Lakers’ game against the Clippers from the sideline. The team ruled him out Wednesday with back tightness, and the timing points to caution: it is the second night of Los Angeles’ first back-to-back of the 2026-27 season.
The Lakers had played every other day since opening the schedule on October 21, so this is the first time the calendar has asked Doncic to turn around on consecutive nights. He started all four games so far and logged 37 minutes Tuesday in a 136-129 home loss to the Trail Blazers, finishing with 41 points, nine assists, five rebounds and a block. That defeat was the first of the year for Los Angeles and left the team at 3-1.
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The league’s top scorer, and its busiest shooter from deep
At 27, Doncic leads the NBA at 36.0 points per game, adding 8.3 assists and 6.8 rebounds. He is shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from three. Nobody in the league makes or attempts more triples: 5.3 made on 13.3 tries a night.
That volume now has to come from somewhere else against a crosstown opponent. The Lakers will lean on the rest of the rotation to fill the gap while their lead guard rests the back.
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