Lakers Provide Massive Update on Luka Doncic's Health Ahead of Game 4

Apr 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half during game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to have a healthy and well-rested Luka Doncic for Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Doncic is feeling much better and is expected to be much better.

Reporting for ABC NBA Countdown on how Lakers star Luka Doncic spent his Saturday ahead of Game 4 against Minnesota today: pic.twitter.com/O7Z0ez4Azj

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 27, 2025

"Luka Doncic is rested. He's feeling much better. He spent all of Saturday sleeping in his bed. He's feeling a lot stronger," said Charania.

Charania said that Donic spent all of Saturday in bed resting, which he couldn't do on Thursday and Friday night.

The 26-year-old superstar did not play like himself, and the stat sheet showed it. In the loss on Friday, Doncic recorded 17 points on a poor 6-of-16 shooting from the field, eight assists, seven rebounds, and one steal in 40 minutes of action.

Doncic was not himself, but he still toughed it out to play 40 grueling minutes. Many questioned whether having him out there hampered the Lakers, but nonetheless, JJ Redick rode with his star player in the process.

On Friday, Doncic was dealing with a stomach bug. Head coach JJ Redick noted that Doncic was vomiting all day.

Through the series, Doncic is putting up strong numbers, averaging 28.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.0 steals while shooting 46.6 percent from the floor and 34.6 percent from beyond the arc across 40.7 minutes per game.

As for the Lakers, Game 4 feels like a must-win. Falling into a 3-1 deficit would put them in a nearly impossible position to come back. They'll aim to even the series on the road and return to L.A. for Game 5, where they've been dominant for much of the season.

The Lakers head into this matchup as slight underdogs, with the spread set at +2.5.

This season, Los Angeles has posted a 36-16 record against Western Conference teams. However, they sit at the bottom of the conference in rebounds per game, averaging just 42.4, with LeBron James leading the way at 7.8 boards a night.

While the Lakers finally broke the 100-point mark in Friday's loss, the closing stretch was anything but clean. They'll aim to learn from those late-game struggles and grab a crucial win to even the series at two games apiece.

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