After the Los Angeles Lakers opened their season with three straight wins, they hit a speed bump Tuesday when they fell at home to the Portland Trail Blazers 136-129.
The Lakers now get the second half of a back-to-back to get back on the winning track when they take on crosstown rivals the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, about 11 miles south of Crypto.com Arena in Downtown Los Angeles.
Before the game, the Lakers announced a setback to their superstar team-leader that can only make the Clippers matchup more difficult.
The Lakers announced that Luka Doncic will sit out Wednesday’s game against the Clippers with back tightness, according to NBA insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
The designation arrives the night after a 41-point effort, leaving open whether Los Angeles is managing a short-term ache or facing something more serious.
Another Lakers insider, Jovan Buha, also confirmed the listing. Ziaire Williams (left foot soreness) joins Doncic on the sideline, while Cameron Carr (right oblique strain) and Adou Thiero (left knee) remain out on the official injury report. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT at Intuit Dome.
Doncic played Tuesday night against the Trail Blazers, finishing with 41 points on 12-of-22 shooting, five rebounds and nine assists in 37 minutes of a 136-129 loss. The back tightness designation first appeared on the report for the second night of the back-to-back, and nothing in the reporting ties it to a specific play. Wednesday’s game is the Lakers’ fifth in eight days.
Doncic Back Injury Outlook
Nothing points to a lasting problem, at least not yet. Back tightness is a common short-term designation, not a structural injury or strain, and no earlier issue this season foreshadowed it.
Doncic has dealt with lower-back tightness before, including a short absence in March 2021 with the Dallas Mavericks. Those episodes lasted one to two games or ran day-to-day, and he recovered quickly.
His most significant recent injury was a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in early April 2026. It cost him the rest of the 2025-26 regular season and the playoffs. He returned healthy for the 2026-27 preseason and has been available for all four regular-season games.
The designation fits a precautionary approach on the second night of a back-to-back, not a recurrence of the hamstring problem.
Lakers Face Clippers Without Luka Doncic
The Lakers are 3-1, fifth in the Western Conference and first in the Pacific Division. They opened with a 127-105 win over the Golden State Warriors, beat the Clippers 125-117 at home on Oct. 23 and won 132-123 at Utah two nights later.
Los Angeles is scoring about 128 points per game, near the top of the league, and has put up at least 125 in all four games. But the defense allowed 136 to the undefeated Trail Blazers.
Doncic drives that production. He is averaging 36.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists in 35.5 minutes, shooting 48.4% from the field, about 39.6% from three-point range and 87.5% at the line. He scored 28 against Golden State, 23 in the first Clippers meeting, then scored 52 points at Utah and 41 against Portland. He has topped 40 points twice in four games and logged 37 minutes or more in three of them.
In that first Clippers game, he added six rebounds and seven assists in 37 minutes.
The Clippers are 1-2 and list six players as out: Bradley Beal (knee), Brandon Ingram (heel/Achilles), Max Strus (foot), Jordan Miller (shoulder), Yanic Konan Niederhäuser (Lisfranc) and Rui Hachimura (quad). Darius Garland has led the team with about 24 points per game.
Without Doncic, Los Angeles leans on Austin Reaves, who scored 28 in the first Clippers meeting and averages about 26.5 points. Walker Kessler anchors the interior, with Matisse Thybulle and Jake LaRavia in supporting roles.
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