The Los Angeles Lakers provided Luka Doncic’s status after his scary ankle injury vs the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
Ahead of their Friday contest against the Washington Wizards, the Lakers listed Doncic as questionable with left ankle soreness.
Will Austin Reaves Return From Injury?
In addition, the Lakers also upgraded star guard Austin Reaves from out to questionable. Reaves has not played since Christmas Day due to a left calf strain.
Reaves has missed the team’s last 17 games. The questionable tag is encouraging as he gears up for a return.
Was Luka Doncic Lucky to Avoid Serious Injury on Cleveland’s Controversial Court?
Doncic suffered a left ankle/leg injury on Wednesday after landing awkwardly, stepping off the edge of the elevated court at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse while attempting a three-point shot in the first quarter. He made a brief trip ot the locker room before ultimately returning to the game. In the blowout loss, Doncic recorded 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field, five rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes of action.
The 26-year-old shared how the injury was a scare.
“I kind of got scared. It wasn’t a great feeling, and looking back at the video I think I got a little bit lucky,” Doncic said.
The Cavaliers’ home court has caused renewed criticism, as it is the only NBA court built on a raised platform to accommodate the NHL’s Cleveland Monsters’ ice underneath.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick took aim at the court, calling it a “safety hazard.”
“It is absolutely a safety hazard,” Redick said. “And I don’t know why it’s still like that. I don’t. You know, you can lodge formal complaints. A lot of times you don’t see any change when you lodge a formal complaint.”
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent also backed up the comments his coach made.
It’s tough to see another player get hurt on this court, with the fall, with the drop off,” Vincent said, “so hopefully something can get fixed with that, but we’re fortunate that [Doncic] is OK.”