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Luka Dončić has been a leading topic of conversation around the NBA ever since he arrived in the 2018 draft, but this year has thrust him further into the spotlight after the Mavericks made the shocking decision to trade him to the Lakers ahead of the deadline.
After the trade, reports surfaced that the Mavs were unhappy with his conditioning, and Dončić seemingly took those comments as motivation to get in good shape this summer. That includes playing for Slovenia this summer in EuroBasket, also known as the European Basketball Championship, which is the main international basketball competition that is held every four years. On Saturday, a slimmed-down Dončić was in action against Kristaps Porzingis and Latvia in a warm-up exhibition.
Dončić had it rolling out of the gates, scoring 15 points in the first quarter as he cooked the Latvia defense and had his 3-point shot dialed in, putting his full talents on display in the early going.
Dončić finished the first half with 26 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals in 17 minutes of action.
It doesn’t seem as though he needs to shake off much rust — the EuroBasket tournament starts Aug. 27 — as he had it all working on Saturday. Lakers fans have to be thrilled with how the suddenly slender Dončić looks on the court here.
That said, no one enjoyed seeing Dončić limp off the floor after a teammate landed on him under the basket. Here’s the play:
Dončić limped off the court and was able to walk on his own into the locker room. He did not return to action on Saturday. Dončić was diagnosed with a right knee contusion, according to NBA Insider Marc Stein. However, the injury is not considered serious, as Dončić is expected to play in EuroBasket when the tournament starts in two weeks.
Dončić has a history of various injuries, particularly to his left leg, including…
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