The Los Angeles Lakers won’t have Luka Doncic in the lineup on Sunday against the Sacramento Kings. Doncic has been ruled out ahead of the contest due to a left finger sprain and a lower left leg contusion. ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news of the star player’s injury hours ahead of the game. Charania reported that the Slovenian sensation is expected to miss at least a week of action.
The five-time All-Star played the first two games of the 2025-26 NBA season, leading the team to a 1-1 record. Doncic had a dominant start to his first full season with the Lakers, averaging 46 points, 11.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists. The European guard is doing most of the offensive work as the team waits for LeBron James to return to the lineup due to sciatica.
Ahead of the Kings’ game, the Lakers announced that veteran guard Marcus Smart will start the game.
Starting it off for the Purple & Gold@ToyotaSoCal | #SuitingUpTogether pic.twitter.com/BRIX9yczsU
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 27, 2025
Head coach JJ Redick has opted for a smaller lineup against Sacramento. Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton will start the game with Smart. Redick hasn’t addressed Luka Doncic’s injury and how it will affect the team’s performance.
But given that Doncic is the leading scorer and rebounder for the franchise in the first two games, it raises a question about which player will step up. The 6-foot-6 guard is also the team’s best facilitator, and not having him on the floor could affect their flow.
Luka Doncic’s former teammate predicts he’ll lead the NBA in scoring this season
In just the first two games of the season, Luka Doncic has displayed his scoring prowess for the Lakers. He had back-to-back games where he finished with 40+ points. It could be a hint that he’s determined to carry the organization with his elite offensive talent.
NBA legend and Doncic’s former teammate, Dirk Nowitkzi, predicted that the five-time All-NBA star could lead the league in scoring. The star guard has shown flashes of how well he can score in the past. This season, he could take things to another level. Nowitzki revealed his take on his former co-star on the latest episode of NBA on Prime.
“He’s been looking incredible the first two games. I’m gonna call it now: He’s gonna be the top scorer of the league this year. He’s gonna lead the league in scoring. What are you gonna do about it?” Nowitkzi predicted.
"He's going to be the top scorer of the league" 🔝
Dirk Nowitzki has big aspirations for Luka Dončić this season 🤝#NBAonPrime pic.twitter.com/F9lKEAhOtu
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) October 25, 2025
The most points he had in a season were 33.9 during the 2023-24 season. This season, Luka Doncic has started strong offensively and Nowitzki’s prediction could come to fruition.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
