Luka Doncic exploded for the Los Angeles Lakers to begin the team’s series in round one of the Western Conference playoffs. Doncic scored 37 points in Game 1 and 31 points in Game 2.
He was nowhere to be found when it mattered, as the Minnesota Timberwolves took a 2-1 series lead by defeating the Lakers 116-104 in Game 3 in front of 19,312 fans at the Target Center.
Doncic went 6-of-16 shooting and 2-of-8 from behind the three-point line against the Wolves on Friday night. He finished with 17 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds.
Los Angeles Lakers: Luka Doncic was sick on Friday
Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said Doncic was suffering from an illness that caused him to puke his guts out before Friday night’s loss.
“Doncic suffered from a stomach ailment in the 24 hours leading up to the Los Angeles Lakers’ 116-104 Game 3 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and was “vomiting all afternoon” leading up to tipoff, according to Lakers coach JJ Redick,” McMenamin wrote.
Star small forward LeBron James was the Lakers’ primary offense with Doncic feeling sick. James finished with 38 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks. His efforts weren’t enough to allow Los Angeles to steal a road game back in the series after the Wolves took Game 1 at crypto.com Arena.
A “big blow” for the Lakers
James said Doncic’s illness was a “big blow” for the Lakers.
“Obviously, with his illness, it impacts our team,” said James, who led L.A. with 38 points. “We understand what he brings to our team and what he’s done since the acquisition. It definitely took a big blow for our team.”
Doncic doesn’t have much time to get over his illness. The Lakers have an off day on Saturday but will play Game 4 at 3:30 p.m. EST on Sunday.
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