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Luka Doncic progressing towards post All-Star injury return
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- Luka Doncic progressing towards post All-Star injury return
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LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers have been without Luka Doncic since the second half of their win against the Philadelphia 76ers last Thursday after he exited the game due to a hamstring injury. Following the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick was optimistic Doncic's injury wasn't too serious, and prior to the team's game against the Dallas Mavericks , that remained true.
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"He's progressed really good. I think part of him wanted to push to get back as part of the break, but we just got to be cautious with soft tissue injuries," Redick said. "Obviously we were very cautious with Austin [ Reaves ]. You just saw what happened with Jalen Williams coming back. We all feel comfortable with the decision to hold him out, and he should be good to go post-All-Star."
As far as Luka Doncic 's availability for the All-Star Game, JJ Redick joked that it was above his pay grade as far as what would determine whether or not the Lakers' star would participate. Doncic did come out on the court before the Mavericks game and went through pregame warmups amid being ruled out.
Through the first half of the season, Doncic has been one of the leading candidates for the league's MVP award. He's the NBA's current leader in points per game at 32.8. He's also continued to immerse himself amongst the Los Angeles fanbase, setting up a fun interactive event for fans during All-Star Weekend.
"As far as stars go, that's really important to him. You've clearly seen the connection he made with the city of Dallas and all of the Mavericks fans around the world. And from the moment he got here, he's embraced Los Angeles," Redick said. "He wasn't even here when the fires happened and he immediately made a donation for fire relief. And he's done a number of things whether it's been with the fans or our team. I think he enjoys it."
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Doncic has appeared in 42 games for the Lakers so far, at a little over 35 minutes per game. In addition to his points, he's averaging 7.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.5 steals with splits of 47.3 percent shooting from the field, 34.5 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 78.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line. He's also leading the league in free-throw attempts at 10.9 per game.
This past offseason, Doncic signed a three-year contract extension with the Lakers worth around $165 million. It includes a player option for the 2028-29 season.
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Related: Lakers star Austin Reaves reveals how Rajon Rondo's harsh rookie tactics shaped his NBA career
