Doncic struggles through stomach trouble on lackluster 17-point night as Lakers fall behind T-wolves
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A little after that, he had the ball poked out of his hands by Rudy Gobert in the backcourt
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Last spring, Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks past the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals with a series-ending victory at Target Center.
This trip to Minnesota for Doncic in the NBA playoffs is off to an awfully rough start.
Doncic managed to play 40 minutes with a stomach illness in Minnesota’s 116-104 victory over the Lakers on Friday night in Game 3 of the first-round series, finishing with just 17 points on 6-for-16 shooting with a team-high five turnovers.
Doncic, who had eight assists and seven rebounds, was clearly not himself from the start. Lakers coach J.J. Redick said Doncic was vomiting all afternoon before the late game that tipped off at 8:54 p.m.
“He hasn’t been feeling well for the last 24 hours. I don’t know how much he slept last night. He didn’t feel well last night,” Redick said. “He was really under the weather.”
Doncic didn’t start the second half, checking in during the first minute of the third quarter.
A little after that, he had the ball poked out of his hands by Rudy Gobert in the backcourt, beginning a fast break the Timberwolves finished with a three-point play thanks to a foul on Doncic during one of several sloppy sequences for the five-time All-NBA pick whose shocking trade from the Mavericks to the Lakers was the biggest story in a season full of twists and turns throughout the league.
