Is Luka Doncic Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Lakers vs. Timberwolves)

The latest injury update for Luka Doncic on Wednesday in the Los Angeles Lakers-Minnesota Timberwolves matchup.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic has been ruled out for Wednesday night's matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to leg and finger injuries.

Doncic was banged up over the Lakers' first two games of the season, and he was ruled out for a week on Sunday ahead of the team's matchup with the Sacramento Kings. While Doncic's return is expected to be right around that week timeline, it's possible he could miss more games.

Lakers play four games over the next week:
@ SAC
vs. POR (b2b)
@ MIN
@ MEM https://t.co/oteBTaxRBi

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 26, 2025

Lakers insider Jovan Buha speculated on his podcast earlier this week that Doncic could miss five or six games since the Lakers play a back-to-back on Sunday and Monday against Miami and Portland. He believes there's a chance Doncic misses one or both of those matchups give how cautious the Lakers have been with injuries in the past.

So, with Doncic out on Wednesday, the Lakers are underdogs on the road against the Anthony Edwards-less Timberwolves. L.A. beat the Timberwolves earlier this season, but Doncic led the way with 49 points in that game.

Here's a look at my favorite Lakers prop bet with Doncic sidelined on Wednesday.

Best Lakers Prop Bet vs. Timberwolves

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Austin Reaves OVER 29.5 Points (-114)

This prop is a no-brainer for the Lakers with both Doncic and James out of the lineup.

Austin Reaves is averaging 35.8 points per game this season while shooting an impressive 57.3 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from beyond thearc. In the last two games that Doncic has missed, Reaves has put up 51 and 41 points to lead the Lakers offense.

Plus, he scored 26 and 25 points in the two games that Doncic appeared in to open the 2025-26 season.

The Lakers don't have many shot creators on their roster with James and Doncic out, and Reaves has stepped right into a 1A role, taking 44 shots and 36 free throws over his last two games.

With that kind of usage, he's a must bet to score 30 or more points -- even against this Minnesota defense. Reaves had 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting against Minnesota earlier this year in a game where Doncic scored 49.

He could be in the mix to push 40 points for the third game in a row on Wednesday.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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