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Report: Luka Doncic (leg) to return for Lakers on Christmas

By Thomson Reuters Dec 24, 2025 | 4:32 PM

os Angeles Lakers fans will have one Christmas wish come to fruition when star guard Luka Doncic ‍returns from a calf injury to play against the Houston Rockets on Thursday, according to an ESPN report.

Doncic departed early from a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers ‌on Saturday with a lower ‌leg contusion. He then missed Tuesday’s 132-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns, leaving Los Angeles with consecutive defeats for the first time this ​season.

Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of Doncic’s final game with the Dallas ‍Mavericks. He departed early ​from Dallas’ loss to the ​Minnesota Timberwolves with a calf strain then never ‍played again for his original franchise. He was traded to the Lakers in February.

Doncic helped the Lakers into the playoffs last season and went on a ‍scoring surge to start this season while fellow star LeBron James was out of action. ‍Doncic leads ‍the NBA with 34.1 points ​per game, while adding 8.8 ​assists ⁠and 8.6 rebounds.

Over eight NBA ‌seasons, the five-time All-Star and 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year has averaged 28.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists over 471 games (all starts) for the Mavericks and Lakers.

–Field ⁠Level Media