Lakers Get Luka Doncic Injury Update Before Warriors Game

After a long eight-game road trip, the Los Angeles Lakers were able to extend their win streak to two games on Thursday night, pulling out the win against Joel Embiid and the visiting Philadelphia 76ers at Crypto.com Arena.

Unfortunately, the win over the 76ers came at a cost, as superstar guard Luka Doncic went down with what was called left leg soreness and didn't return to the game, which is obviously a significant concern for the Lakers moving forward.

Luka Dončić (left leg soreness) will not return to tonight’s game.
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 6, 2026

Ultimately, Austin Reaves was able to pick up the slack, as he had an incredible performance, scoring a game-high 35 points in 25 minutes off the bench in only his second game back after missing 19 games due to a calf strain.

Even though the Lakers improved their record to 31-19, the primary concern moving forward is the health of Doncic, as many assumed he could be dealing with a hamstring injury that may threaten to keep him sidelined for quite some time, which could be a devastating blow to the team's chances of securing a high seed in the Western Conference ahead of the NBA playoffs.

However, ESPN's Dave McMenamin gave a promising update on Doncic's status on Friday, claiming there's "optimism" that the Lakers superstar is not dealing with a major injury, but he is doubtful to play in Saturday's game against the Golden State Warriors in Los Angeles.

There is some initial optimism that Luka Doncic is not dealing with a major issue with his left hamstring, however the Lakers star is doubtful to play Saturday against the Golden State Warriors, sources told ESPN
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 6, 2026

Doncic is supposed to have an MRI on his injured leg, which will give the team the diagnosis needed to know how much time the NBA MVP candidate might miss. The Lakers have only 32 regular-season games left. They are currently sitting in fifth place in the West behind the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.

It's getting tight in the West in the final stretch of the 2025-26 campaign, with the Minnesota Timberwolves (32-20) and Phoenix Suns (31-21) not far behind the Lakers. The standings in the conference will change nightly, with teams moving up and down, making Doncic's status crucial to Los Angeles' seeding in the West.

Fortunately, the Lakers have played well as of late, winning seven of their last 10 games, and have Reaves back to help shoulder the load in Doncic's absence if he misses a considerable amount of time.

The primary concern moving forward, along with Doncic's status, is that the Lakers' schedule doesn't get any easier; the rest of February is brutal, to say the least. JJ Redick's squad will face the Warriors (twice), Thunder, Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic and Suns to finish out the month.