Luka Doncic returns to the Los Angeles Lakers lineup Friday night at a good time for a rematch. Doncic is off the injury report after sitting out Wednesday’s win over the LA Clippers, and the Lakers (4-1) visit the Golden State Warriors (2-3) at Chase Center at 7 p.m. PT on Prime Video. It is the NBA Cup opener for both teams in West Group C, and it is the first meeting since an opening-night game that ended with Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg saying he had “lost all respect” for Doncic.
Doncic is back after one night off
Doncic missed the second night of Wednesday’s back-to-back. The Lakers listed back tightness as the reason, and JJ Redick called the move precautionary. He was not on the league’s Friday injury report, which means he is available.
He comes in as one of the league’s top scorers. Through four games, Doncic is averaging 36.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists. He has made 44 of 91 shots (48.4%) and 21 of 53 threes (39.6%), according to ESPN box scores. He scored 52 against Utah and 41 in Tuesday’s 136-129 loss at Portland, where he shot 12 of 22 with nine assists in 37 minutes. The one area to watch is ball security: he has 23 turnovers in four games.
Redick has talked about what Doncic looks like when he gets going. “I think for him in particular, when he’s in the flow state he gets into showman mode,” Redick said on Spectrum SportsNet. “He’s on a stage performing and that’s always really fun to watch.”
What happened on opening night
The Lakers won the first meeting 127-105 on Oct. 21 in Los Angeles. Doncic had 28 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in 30 minutes, made all nine of his free throws, and finished plus-31. Walker Kessler went 12 for 12 from the field for 26 points and 9 rebounds. In Lakers history, only Wilt Chamberlain’s 14-for-14 game in 1969 had more makes without a miss. Austin Reaves added 23 points.
Golden State went 8 for 36 from three, and the Lakers scored 66 points in the paint. Stephen Curry scored 23 in 21 minutes.
The game had some edge to it. Lendeborg, the No. 11 pick, spent most of his debut guarding Doncic. He was called for a technical foul after a confrontation, picked up four fouls and scored 12 points. Doncic banked in a half-court shot at the buzzer and pointed at him. After the game, Lendeborg said he had lost respect for Doncic after “seeing all the whining and complaining.” On Thursday, ESPN’s Anthony Slater asked him whether he was looking forward to Friday. “Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes, I am. I’ll talk about that on Friday,” Lendeborg said.
The Warriors since then
Golden State started 0-3 and has now won two straight:
- Oct. 23 vs. Memphis: lost 111-108. Draymond Green was called for an offensive foul on a screen in the final seconds, and Steve Kerr complained afterward about flopping.
- Oct. 24 at Phoenix: lost 131-122 without Curry, Green and Brandin Podziemski.
- Oct. 26 at Denver: won 134-114. Lendeborg had 31 points and 12 rebounds, Curry went 8 for 8 from the field for 24 points, and the Warriors made 22 of 44 threes.
- Oct. 28 at Minnesota: won 119-114. Curry scored a season-high 44 on 11-of-27 shooting, including 6 threes, and went 16 for 16 at the line. Lendeborg added 26 points and 9 rebounds. Golden State led by as many as 24.
Lendeborg has scored at least 26 in three straight games and is averaging 22.6 points and 9.2 rebounds, though he also has 18 turnovers in five games. Curry is averaging 28.8 points in four games. Green is averaging 6.8 assists.
The Lakers without Doncic, and with him
The Lakers showed some depth on Wednesday. Without Doncic and starting forward Ziaire Williams, they held the Clippers to 87 points, forced 24 turnovers, got 15 steals and scored 31 points off those turnovers. Quentin Grimes led them with 23, and Collin Sexton scored a season-high 21 off the bench. In the video above, Sexton explains why he plays the way he does.
Reaves is the second option at 24.4 points per game. Kessler, acquired from Utah in July, is averaging 14.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks on 75% shooting. He is playing with a splint on his left finger. After the Portland loss, he blamed himself: “It’s on me. I take responsibility for that.” Matisse Thybulle has made 12 of 24 threes.
Injury report
- Lakers: Ziaire Williams is questionable (left foot and heel injury management). Cameron Carr (right oblique strain) and Adou Thiero (left knee injury management) are out.
- Warriors: Gui Santos is doubtful (left knee tendinitis). Jimmy Butler (right ACL surgery), Moses Moody (left patellar tendon) and Kristaps Porzingis (not with team) are out. Lendeborg, who iced his left foot after Wednesday’s game, and Podziemski are not on the report.
The NBA Cup stakes
West Group C has the Lakers, Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings. Each team plays four group games. The group winner advances to the quarterfinals on Dec. 4-5, along with one wild card per conference, the best second-place team. After Friday, the Lakers’ Cup schedule is Portland at home on Nov. 6, Sacramento at home on Nov. 20 and San Antonio on the road on Nov. 27. Since point differential is a tiebreaker, a big margin on Friday could help.
After Friday, the Lakers host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, Nov. 1 and the Miami Heat on Monday, Nov. 2. Golden State hosts the Clippers on the same day.
Notes and conflicts
- Why Doncic sat: Some reports say he was rested on the back-to-back. The team’s listed reason was back tightness. Both appear to be true: he was listed with back tightness, and Redick called sitting him precautionary.
- League scoring lead: Some outlets call Doncic the NBA’s leading scorer at 36.0 points per game. A league preview listed a different scoring leader after the first week, likely because of games-played minimums. We do not claim he leads the league.
- Doncic’s assists: His 33 assists in four games work out to 8.25 per game. Sites round it to 8.3 or 8.2.
- Ziaire Williams: He is questionable. His status will not be known until closer to tip-off.
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