Doncic reveals uncertainty about his health after the team's embarrassing defeat to the lowly Kings.
The Los Angeles Lakers were expected to handle business against a struggling Sacramento Kings team on Monday night, but things went sideways in a hurry as Sacramento dominated from start to finish and handed Los Angeles a 124-112 loss that extended their losing streak to three games.
The Kings came into the matchup with the second-worst record in the Western Conference, yet the Lakers had no answer for their hot shooting.
The defeat dropped Los Angeles to 23-14 on the season while Sacramento improved to 10-30, and it marked the Kings' first home victory against the Lakers since March 2024.
Fans at Golden 1 Center made sure they heard about it as they chanted to light the beam.
Doncic Keeps It Real About the Loss
Luka Doncic put together another massive performance despite the tough loss, finishing with 42 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and four steals in 36 minutes while scoring 26 of those points in the first half alone as he tried to keep his team afloat while Sacramento's offense caught fire.
After the final buzzer sounded, Doncic was honest about what went wrong and pointed to the difference on both ends of the floor when asked about the Kings' hot shooting.
"On the other end, they felt like they made every three," Doncic said. "We have some great shots. They didn't go in, but they just made all their shots."
He still expressed belief that the Lakers can turn things around during this rough stretch, adding that he has "confidence in this team for sure" and that they "just got to keep working and getting better at it."
Adding to the concerns was the fact that Doncic revealed he was dealing with physical discomfort that started before tip-off, and he had his left thigh wrapped at the end of the third quarter before scoring just two points in the final period.
"Yeah, I was really uncertain," Doncic said about his pregame status. "Before the game warming up, I felt something. I was just trying to get warm and get going. But tomorrow, we will see how I wake up."
When reporters followed up by asking whether the issue was related to his inner thigh or groin area, Doncic acknowledged it was "somewhere in there," raising questions about his availability as the Lakers prepare to face the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.
Lakers Struggling to Find Their Footing
The loss stung even more because the Kings entered the game tied with the New Orleans Pelicans for the fewest wins in the West, and even though Los Angeles jumped out to an early lead behind LeBron James and Doncic, Sacramento stormed back and never trailed again over the final 38 minutes.
Former Lakers guard Malik Monk torched his old team with 26 points off the bench while drilling seven three-pointers, and DeMar DeRozan added 32 points as the Kings connected on 17 shots from beyond the arc, well above their season average of 10 per game.
James finished with 22 points but went 0-for-5 from three-point range while Deandre Ayton chipped in 13 points and 13 rebounds in the losing effort.
The Lakers have now dropped four of their last six games and face a quick turnaround with a back-to-back situation looming, and with Doncic's status uncertain and Austin Reaves still sidelined with a calf strain, Los Angeles could be severely short-handed moving forward.