What happened to Luka Doncic? Exploring Lakers star's first quarter exit vs Clippers as injury concerns emerge (Mar. 2)

Luka Doncic exited Sunday's LA Clippers vs. LA Lakers game in the first quarter. After logging in 10:19 minutes, Doncic left the floor, heading straight to the locker room and holding his right hip/upper leg area. The Slovenian was on fire to start this contest, shooting 4 of 5, including 3 of 4 from 3 to score 12 points. He also had three rebounds and three assists. The Lakers led 34-28.

Doncic returned to the sidelines in the second quarter but was grimacing in pain as stretched out his right leg. He jogged around to test his ability to go and waited at the scorer's table to check in before taking his seat on the bench again.

Luka Doncic returned with six minutes left after a timeout. He played six minutes in the second quarter, adding only one rebound to his box score. Doncic shot 0-for-3 on his return to the floor in the second quarter.

However, the crucial update was that Doncic wasn't bothered by the thigh issue that forced him to leave the floor in the first quarter.

Luka Doncic overcomes early injury concerns to produce another stellar performance for Lakers

Luka Doncic put an end to any concerns about a potential injury with an impeccable showing in the second half against the LA Clippers. Doncic added 17 points in that span, finishing with 29 points, six rebounds, nine assists and two steals on 9 of 17 shots, including 5 of 12 from 3. He was a +/- +19, the second-highest behind Dorian Finney-Smith.

The Lakers won 108-102, extending their winning streak to six games and becoming sole owners of the second seed. LA is 38-21, with one loss less than the Denver Nuggets, sitting in third at 39-22. Denver lost to the Boston Celtics earlier in the day.

The Lakers would have heaved a sigh of relief after Luka Doncic's first-quarter exit, as his minor thigh issue wasn't significant. They were already shorthanded, playing without Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, which would have made it even more difficult for them to win against the Clippers if Doncic got ruled out.