Once the NBA regular season is over, it’s time for the best time of the year in the best league in the world: the playoffs for the title start on Saturday. A postseason in which the Los Angeles Lakers will be present: with 53 wins and 29 losses, they have finished in fourth place in the Western Conference, which gives them a home court advantage in the series against the Houston Rockets in the first round.
Travel to Madrid to have a chance of making it
A clash in which, for the moment, it seems very difficult to see Luka Doncic in action. The Slovenian was injured just two weeks ago against the Oklahoma City Thunder and, for the moment, it does not seem that we will see him in the short term on the court. He has missed the last few regular season games, which means that he will have to present an exemption permit in order to be eligible for individual awards (he has played 64 games and the league establishes 65 as the minimum to be eligible for these).
In order to make this appointment, the point guard has traveled to Madrid, which was his home from 2012 to 2018 and where he was trained to become what he is today, to be treated for a week by Samuel Castillo, former physical trainer of the white club until this past summer, and undergo injections in the damaged area.
Travel to Los Angeles tomorrow; Reaves does not arrive
Now, according to Shams Charania, an ESPN journalist specializing in the NBA, the former Mavs player will travel back to Los Angeles tomorrow to be re-evaluated for his left hamstring injury, where he has a grade 2 strain. The reporter also stated that his team will give him a new test to see if he could return in the first round against the Rockets, which puts his presence in doubt. To ensure his participation, he will meet with his team on Friday to decide, as reported by Marc Stein.
The one who seems almost certain not to be there is Austin Reaves: the Lakers shooting guard suffered a grade 2 injury to his left oblique muscle and, according to Charania, it seems that he will watch this matchup from the stands.
Doncic, top scorer of the season
Today, once the regular season in the best league on the planet has come to an end, another great recognition for Doncic has been made ‘official’: he was the NBA’s leading scorer with 33.5 points per game, with almost two and a half points to spare over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.1), who was second.
In this way, the Slovenian is averaging 32 or more points per game for the third time in his career and becomes the fifth player in Lakers history to achieve such a feat, being the first in the Los Angeles franchise since Kobe Bryant in 2007.
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