By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Short-handed and outmatched, the Los Angeles Lakers visited the Moda Center on Saturday without several key pieces, including Austin Reaves, Luka Dončić, Deandre Ayton, and Jaxson Hayes.
The absences left little margin for error against a Portland Trail Blazers squad that had won eight of its last 11 outings.
Dončić missed the game after he reportedly “felt something” in his groin, though head coach JJ Redick offered encouraging news, revealing that an MRI showed no serious issues and that the superstar is now listed as day-to-day.
The Lakers will host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday before embarking on an eight-game road trip that begins Tuesday in Denver.
Even while sidelined, Dončić remains the NBA’s leading scorer at 33.6 points per game, adding 7.7 rebounds, 8.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest.