Jan 30, 2026
3 min read
Dončić fell backward in front of the court after hitting a fadeaway 3-pointer in front of the Lakers bench.
CLEVELAND - Lakers guard Luka Doncic suffered an apparent left leg injury while entering the gap between the home Cleveland Cavaliers and the bench in the first quarter on Wednesday.
The cavaliers have the only elevated court in the NBA, with the floor of the arena several inches below the playing surface.
Donech hit a 3-pointer for a fade ball in front of the Lakers bench and fell backwards down the court.As he jumped backwards, his left foot slipped and he fell.He held his left leg for a long time.
"I'm a little bit," I said Dončić after the Lakers is in the Lakers to 129-99 in Cleveland."The idea is not very comfortable, and looking forward to the video, I hope it's a little bit!"
He limped into the dressing room without putting too much weight on his leg.He returned to the game later in the fourth, although it was clear he had an ankle injury.
"I tried to go," he said."Obviously it wasn't 100 percent. But I tried."
He finished with 29 points, five rebounds and six assists, but the Lakers suffered their worst loss of the season.
"I think everybody was a little energized," Doncic said."Those games will come, but we have to be much better than that."
Dončić is not the first NBA player to be injured due to the distance between the court and the court.In 2023, Miami Heat guard Dru Smith injured his right knee when he got stuck between the court and the court against a three-point shot.
The Heat reportedly contacted the NBA over safety concerns after Smith suffered a Grade 3 ACL sprain.
“It’s a safety risk,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the game."And I don't know why that's still the case. I don't know. You know, you can file a complaint. A lot of times you don't see a change if you file a formal complaint."
