Despite a promising start to their 2025-26 NBA campaign, the Lakers seem to have lost their momentum. The last time the purple and gold managed to secure a string of wins was when they went on a 7-match win streak last month. Unfortunately, it has been a slippery slope ever since. It doesn’t help that the roster is going through an injury crisis.
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Luka Doncic, who suffered a left leg contusion during their last win on Saturday, is taking some time to return to the fold. Doncic already missed out on Tuesday’s game against the Suns, despite earlier reports suggesting that the injury wasn’t that serious. So, is he available to take part in the Lakers’ all-important Christmas Day clash against Kevin Durant’s Houston Rockets?
NBA insider Shams Charania had earlier claimed that Doncic might be available for tonight’s game.
“Luka Doncic is expected to play on Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets,” Shams said. “I am told he’s undergoing a workout today. As long as that goes smoothly for him, he will return to the lineup and debut his new signature shoe on Thursday.”
Christmas Day injury updates on two superstar guards – Lakers’ Luka Doncic and Knicks’ Jalen Brunson – for NBA Today’s XMas eve special: pic.twitter.com/9DMHYShnfw
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 24, 2025
However, in the few hours since Charania’s statement, the Lakers have labelled Luka Doncic Questionable for tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets. If this is to be the case, Nick Smith is likely to make a second consecutive start.
Should Doncic miss out on playing today, it will be the 5th game he misses this season due to injury. He had earlier missed 3 games at the start of the season owing to a bruise, but it has been reliably reported that his current injury is not an aggravation of it.
Earlier this week, head coach JJ Redick told the media that they were closely monitoring the Slovenian star’s situation on a day-to-day basis, with a focus on how he holds up in training.
