The Lakers will rely more heavily on Dončić in the early going with LeBron James on the shelf due to sciatica. James is reportedly targeting a mid-November season debut, which gives Dončić about a month of runway as the unquestioned leader of the Lakers' lineup.

Injury update: Luka Dončić questionable for matchup against Sacramento originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The major storyline is Luka Dončić guiding the Lakers to a dominant win over a top-tier foe in the Western Conference, dispatching Minnesota by a final margin of 128-110. However, the Slovenian’s individual excellence is to be marveled at:

NBA superstar Luka Dončić starts the 2025-2026 season with a new lean physique. Our experts discuss exactly how.

Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Tyrese Maxey, Anthony Edwards set NBA history in season debuts originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Warriors beat the Lakers 119-109 on opening night as Golden State overcame a heroic performance by Luka Dončić in Los Angeles. Stephen Curry put the game away with a spectacularly deep three-pointer in the final minute of the game as the Warriors got off to a 1-0 start on the season.

Luka Dončić stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 43 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and a block on Tuesday, and his Lakers still lost to the Warriors, 119-109, on opening night as Dončić finished as a minus-eight for the game.

While LeBron James is out, it has become painfully clear that Luka Doncic is going to have to play out of this world for the Lakers to have a chance.