The Los Angeles Lakers’ hopes for a three-game winning streak were shut down tonight, not just by the Clippers but by an injury to their cornerstone, Luka Doncic.

Doncic was seen limping during the second quarter after landing awkwardly. He stayed in the game, though, noticeably struggling with his shooting. But the guard was missing after halftime. Chris Haynes soon reported that he had suffered a contusion in his left leg, ruling him out for the rest of the night.

This is a massive blow for a Lakers team already struggling with backcourt problems, with Austin Reaves sidelined by a calf injury and Gabe Vincent sidelined by a back injury. They’re also missing Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura tonight, so the pressure was on LeBron James and the reserves to make a comeback.

This is an unfortunate setback for Doncic, who had already missed a few games at the start of the season due to minor injuries, and any time he misses will put massive pressure on the rest of the roster.

This year, Doncic leads the league in scoring and has taken the Lakers to one of the best records in the Western Conference. He is averaging 35.2 points per game, along with 9.1 assists and 8.8 rebounds. But his shooting efficiency has taken a hit, which is below average from both the field and beyond the arc.

The Slovenian struggled tonight when he was on the floor, scoring just 12 points on 4 of 13 shooting, with five rebounds, two assists, and four turnovers as the Clippers cruised to a win, dropping the Lakers to 19-8.

Clippers take control as short-handed Lakers can’t recover without Luka Doncic

Tonight’s game was unbalanced from the opening tip. Already without three starters and a key bench piece, the Lakers fell into an immediate hole as the Clippers ripped off a 9-0 run and dictated the pace.

Kawhi Leonard had a strong start, and James Harden controlled the game as a distributor. By the end of the first, the Clippers were up 28-15, and the gap only got worse.

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Luka Doncic was never able to stabilize tonight. After a poor shooting start, his injury in the second quarter threw the Lakers into disarray, and the Clippers took advantage immediately, jumping to a 54-39 lead at halftime.

Once the update about Doncic’s injury hit the timeline, tonight’s game became more about survival than being competitive.

The hosts never let the control slip. Leading by double digits through the third, the team entered the fourth up 80-61 before the Lakers cut the deficit to seven, but this was short-lived.

John Collins and Harden responded with back-to-back threes to stop the run and seal the game 103-88. The Lakers maintained their place at fourth in the West, but their record is now in jeopardy if Doncic stays out for long.

Redick confirmed that there was no update on his star player after the game.