All eyes are on Luka Doncic’s stomach heading into Game 4
No, this is not a reference to the Dallas Mavericks’ efforts to label Doncic as pudgy after they inexplicably traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this season.
It’s about Doncic’s health. The Lakers revealed that Doncic battled a stomach bug in Game 3, which helped explain his poor performance in the Lakers’ 116-104 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
Doncic missed 10 of 16 shots and committed a handful of turnovers, and the Timberwolves took a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinals series.
Now the star-powered Lakers face the possibility of falling behind 3-1 in the series on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis. That would put all of the pressure on the shoulders of Doncic, LeBron James and the rest of the Lakers as they return to Los Angeles.
Alternatively, if the Lakers can bounce back Sunday, the series will be even at 2-all and Doncic and his teammates will regain home-court advantage for what essentially will be a best-of-three race to the finish.
All of this is to say that the pressure is climbing.
And Doncic is crashing — or at least he was Friday night.
The missed shots were tough, especially as Doncic shot 2 of 8 from 3-point range. That’s territory where he has dominated the Timberwolves in the past, including last season with the Mavericks. Fans in Minnesota still have vivid memories of Doncic burying a step-back 3-pointer over Rudy Gobert to win Game 2 of the conference finals.
Doncic’s turnovers were equally costly. Anthony Edwards poked the ball loose from him before driving the baseline and dunking over Doncic’s head in the third quarter. Gobert got a small bit of revenge against Doncic as he stole the ball and set up Jaden McDaniels for a layup and a free throw late in the fourth quarter as Minnesota pulled ahead.
Things could be different Sunday. For Doncic and the Lakers, they will need to be.
Teammate Dorian Finney-Smith saw how much Doncic was hurting at halftime.
“I didn’t think he was going to come out (for the) second half,” Finney-Smith said. “Just because (of) how he sounded. His body language. How he looked. He looked a little pale today. He probably needs to hydrate some more. But like I said, Luka’s tough.”
The timing was tough, too.
Doncic averaged a team-high 34 points in the first two games of the series. He still leads the Lakers with 28.3 points per game in the series despite playing sick in Game 3.
“Obviously, with his illness, it impacts our team,” James said. “We understand what he brings to our team and what he’s done since the acquisition. It definitely took a big blow for our team.”
Anyone who has battled a stomach bug this winter or spring (is this actually everyone?) knows how it can knock you out for a day or more. Everything hurts. You just want to be alone in a dark, quiet room for a while.
Here’s the problem for Doncic: There’s very little time for that. He is going to be in a very crowded, incredibly loud room and under a very bright spotlight for Game 4.
It’s an early tipoff, as well, which could pose another challenge. With the game set to start at 2:30 p.m. in Minnesota (12:30 p.m. Pacific time), Doncic will have to wake up and get going during a period of the day when he otherwise might be able to take a nap.
Lakers coach JJ Redick is hoping for the best.
“Hopefully, whatever’s going on, he’s feeling better on Sunday,” Redick said. “I mean, I can’t (diagnose him). I’m not a doctor.”
At least he’s honest.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Aaron Gordon beats buzzer with putback dunk to help Nuggets stun Clippers in Game 4
In a chippy, physical battle on the road, Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon helped Denver steal Game 4 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers.Gordon, who scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds, snagged a 3-point heave from Nikola Jokić out of the air and dunked it just seconds before the regulation buzzer, helping Denver stun the Clippers 101-99 and tie the series 2-2. AARON GORDON WITH THE WILDEST BUZZER BEATER EVER 🚨 NUGGETS WIN pic.twitter.com/2UjLl2rUrF — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 27, 2025This story will be updated.(Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
Thunder complete sweep of Ja Morant-less Grizzlies, reach Western Conference semis
<!--> Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder advanced to the Western Conference semifinals by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 117-115 on Saturday to complete a four-game sweep.Jalen Williams added 23 points for the top-seeded Thunder, who led the NBA with a 68-14 record this season and became the first team to reach the second round. They will await the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets or No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers in the next round."I didn't feel like my mindset was any different," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Every night I step on the floor to be the best version of myself. I hadn't been in the past (games), but tonight I was pretty close to it. I think because I kept the same mindset, it allowed me to just play free."ADVERTISEMENT -->The Grizzlies played without star guard Ja Morant, who bruised his […]
Fantasy football 2025 NFL Draft player grades: Every pick from Cam Ward to Brashard Smith and more
The 2025 NFL Draft might be done, but the excitement is still bubbling over. It’s time for NFL draft grades for fantasy football. If you haven’t seen this piece from past years, each player gets two grades. The first draft grade is redraft-only value (2025). The second is the player’s dynasty grade/potential.AdvertisementThe draft grades are weighted in tiers of sorts. A’s are your stars — players who can or will become a No. 1 at their position (RB1, TE1, etc.). For B’s, we’re talking about second and some third-tier starters in all leagues. When we get to C’s, those are fringe starters, maybe some boom/bust plays, etc. D’s are waiver wire players with maybe some Best Ball or the rare bye week/matchup play potential. Any player graded lower is a non-factor in fantasy.For those wanting to go deeper, you can […]
Wrexham clinches promotion to EFL Championship, notching third promotion in as many seasons
Wrexham AFC is moving up once again. The Welsh club has secured promotion to the EFL Championship league, one tier below the Premier League, after a 3-0 win over Charlton on Saturday.Midfielder Oliver Rathbone opened the scoring for Wrexham in the 15th minute, followed by a pair of goals from striker Sam Smith in the 18th and 81st minutes. With the win, Wrexham secured 89 points with one game remaining, clinching a second-place finish and its third consecutive promotion.Wrexham currently plays in League One, the third tier of English football; they will now begin play in the Championship, the second tier, next season. The top two clubs in League One are promoted at the end of the season, plus the winner of a playoff between the clubs in third through sixth position. (Birmingham, who has 102 points, has already clinched […]
Alex Freeman scores an amazing goal to put Orlando City up 2-0 over Atlanta United
Alex Freeman scores an amazing goal to put Orlando City up 2-0 over Atlanta United | FOX Sports <!--> --> Video Details Alex Freeman scored an amazing goal to put Orlando City SC up 2-0 over Atlanta United FC 1 MIN AGO・MLS・0:48
2025 NFL Draft winners and losers: Shedeur Sanders falls into both categories, Tom Brady makes the list
Getty Images After 257 picks, the 2025 NFL Draft is officially in the books. The draft started on Thursday with the Browns doing something crazy, and it ended on Saturday with the Browns also doing something crazy, so in a way, the draft truly came full circle. The first round started with a blockbuster trade between Cleveland and Jacksonville that saw the Jaguars move up from the fifth pick to the second overall spot so they could take Travis Hunter. Although Hunter went second overall, one player who had to wait longer than expected to get drafted was Hunter's college teammate at Colorado, Shedeur Sanders. Not only did he fall out of the first round, but he ended up falling all the way to the fifth round before the Browns took him with the 144th overall pick. For this draft, Sanders was both […]
Related
Aaron Gordon beats buzzer with putback dunk to help Nuggets stun Clippers in Game 4
In a chippy, physical battle on the road, Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon helped Denver steal Game 4 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers.Gordon, who scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds, snagged a 3-point heave from Nikola Jokić out of the air and dunked it just seconds before the regulation buzzer, helping Denver stun the Clippers 101-99 and tie the series 2-2. AARON GORDON WITH THE WILDEST BUZZER BEATER EVER 🚨 NUGGETS WIN pic.twitter.com/2UjLl2rUrF — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 27, 2025This story will be updated.(Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
Thunder complete sweep of Ja Morant-less Grizzlies, reach Western Conference semis
<!--> Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder advanced to the Western Conference semifinals by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 117-115 on Saturday to complete a four-game sweep.Jalen Williams added 23 points for the top-seeded Thunder, who led the NBA with a 68-14 record this season and became the first team to reach the second round. They will await the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets or No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers in the next round."I didn't feel like my mindset was any different," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Every night I step on the floor to be the best version of myself. I hadn't been in the past (games), but tonight I was pretty close to it. I think because I kept the same mindset, it allowed me to just play free."ADVERTISEMENT -->The Grizzlies played without star guard Ja Morant, who bruised his […]
Fantasy football 2025 NFL Draft player grades: Every pick from Cam Ward to Brashard Smith and more
The 2025 NFL Draft might be done, but the excitement is still bubbling over. It’s time for NFL draft grades for fantasy football. If you haven’t seen this piece from past years, each player gets two grades. The first draft grade is redraft-only value (2025). The second is the player’s dynasty grade/potential.AdvertisementThe draft grades are weighted in tiers of sorts. A’s are your stars — players who can or will become a No. 1 at their position (RB1, TE1, etc.). For B’s, we’re talking about second and some third-tier starters in all leagues. When we get to C’s, those are fringe starters, maybe some boom/bust plays, etc. D’s are waiver wire players with maybe some Best Ball or the rare bye week/matchup play potential. Any player graded lower is a non-factor in fantasy.For those wanting to go deeper, you can […]
Wrexham clinches promotion to EFL Championship, notching third promotion in as many seasons
Wrexham AFC is moving up once again. The Welsh club has secured promotion to the EFL Championship league, one tier below the Premier League, after a 3-0 win over Charlton on Saturday.Midfielder Oliver Rathbone opened the scoring for Wrexham in the 15th minute, followed by a pair of goals from striker Sam Smith in the 18th and 81st minutes. With the win, Wrexham secured 89 points with one game remaining, clinching a second-place finish and its third consecutive promotion.Wrexham currently plays in League One, the third tier of English football; they will now begin play in the Championship, the second tier, next season. The top two clubs in League One are promoted at the end of the season, plus the winner of a playoff between the clubs in third through sixth position. (Birmingham, who has 102 points, has already clinched […]
Alex Freeman scores an amazing goal to put Orlando City up 2-0 over Atlanta United
Alex Freeman scores an amazing goal to put Orlando City up 2-0 over Atlanta United | FOX Sports <!--> --> Video Details Alex Freeman scored an amazing goal to put Orlando City SC up 2-0 over Atlanta United FC 1 MIN AGO・MLS・0:48
2025 NFL Draft winners and losers: Shedeur Sanders falls into both categories, Tom Brady makes the list
Getty Images After 257 picks, the 2025 NFL Draft is officially in the books. The draft started on Thursday with the Browns doing something crazy, and it ended on Saturday with the Browns also doing something crazy, so in a way, the draft truly came full circle. The first round started with a blockbuster trade between Cleveland and Jacksonville that saw the Jaguars move up from the fifth pick to the second overall spot so they could take Travis Hunter. Although Hunter went second overall, one player who had to wait longer than expected to get drafted was Hunter's college teammate at Colorado, Shedeur Sanders. Not only did he fall out of the first round, but he ended up falling all the way to the fifth round before the Browns took him with the 144th overall pick. For this draft, Sanders was both […]
Be the first to leave a comment