Sometimes in life, one has to pick their battles. That is certainly the case for the Los Angeles Lakers amid this brutal part of their 2024-25 NBA schedule.
The Lakers' fixtures positioned the team to play six games, three back-to-backs, in the span of eight nights. Naturally, that is an unenviable situation for any team. Furthermore, the competition has not been particularly easy either. Two matchups against the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets are certainly no joke.
There comes points like these where 'business decisions' need to be made. The Lakers have certainly made one with regard to the final game of this stretch against the Bucks.
Luka Doncic ruled out for matchup against Bucks
Los Angeles has opted to give Doncic the night off on Thursday. Dave McMenamin confirmed the Lakers superstar will be out on Twitter/X earlier today. The ESPN reporter cited injury management on a sprained right ankle for Luka as the motivating factor to allow him some needed rest.
Doncic was similarly given the night off against the Nuggets on Feb. 14 in the second leg of a back-to-back. The Slovenian then proceeded to play two nights in a row against the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs.
This is a calculated decision from the Lakers. With the NBA Playoffs in sight, it is important to keep players as fresh and close to 100 percent as possible. With the workload in this tough stretch, allowing a player as pivotal to Los Angeles' success as Doncic to catch his breath represents the ideal move for the Lakers. This is especially true considering the superstar point guard has already missed a significant chunk of the season due to injury.
The Lakers will need to find a way to win without Doncic as they continue their pursuit of the second seed in the Western Conference.