Lakers’ Nightmare Weekend: Should the Lakers start worrying?

Everything seemed to have fallen into place for the Lakers over the past month. A blockbuster trade from the Dallas Mavericks, securing superstar Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves playing like a man on a mission, and LeBron James continuing two decades of dominance. With eight straight wins and the best defensive record in the league, the Lakers fans had every reason to believe they would be contenders for the title.

Celtics Defeat, but Injuries Steal the Headlines for Lakers

The defeat to the Boston Celtics was not that awesome outcome for the Los Angeles Lakers; it was not a disaster unto itself. Yet, where the night came crashing down was, in fact, the injuries to both LeBron James and Luka Doncic in the same game.

The duo of LeBron and Doncic had been putting life into the Lakers’ offense since the day Doncic landed in Los Angeles. Together, against the Celtics, they scored 25 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out 9 assists in the first half alone to keep the Lakers in contention. They were now trying to make a comeback after a poor third quarter when somehow the avalanche hit them.

LeBron’s Groin Injury—A Major Concern

LeBron has been against Father Time for years, but a groin injury in the second half forced him to exit the game and never return, making fans and analysts worried about how long he would be out. Sources close to the team suggest that he may be out 1-2 weeks, something that would, of course, be gigantic having to deal with the tight scheduling the Lakers approach.

Luka’s Back Issue—Bigger Than Expected?

Luka Doncic had been battling lower back pains even before the game, but he put up a convincing 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists in 37 minutes. However, from the end of the match, he did not look quite well and raised some concerns about whether he would be able to play in the following days.

Time to Panic? Not Yet, But Alarm Bells Are Ringing

The alarms are not sounding, but things really don’t look good for the Lakers. With Luka possibly spending long stretches on the sidelines with LeBron, the burden will fall on Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves to lead the team into the playoffs.

The forthcoming weeks can test the mettle of the Lakers. If they manage to stay afloat, they would still be in with a fighting chance for a title. But fail in that, and what otherwise ought to have been a dream season may flop right into a nightmare.