Los Angeles Lakers Luka Dončić 77 during NBA game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday, December 1st 2025 in Los Angeles California.Carlos YakimowichWed, December 3, 2025 at 11:54 PM UTC·1 min readThe Los Angeles Lakers will be without NBA leading scorer Luka Dončić on Thursday against the Toronto Raptors due to personal reasons, the team announced on Wednesday.
The Lakers are 3-1 without Dončić in the lineup this season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn 16 games, Dončić is averaging 35.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 8.9 assists while recently being named the NBA's Western Conference player of the week (Nov. 24 to Nov. 30) for the first time in L.A.
Marcus Smart (lower back injury management) will also be out against the Raptors, missing his third straight contest.
The Lakers, who are 7-2 on the road, will be put to the test with three games in the next four days against the Raptors, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers before heading back home for the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup (Dec. 10) versus the San Antonio Spurs.
L.A. will look to Austin Reaves, who is 10th in the NBA in scoring at 28.1 points, to lead the scoring front on the backcourt for the Lakers and LeBron James, who's still working his way to game shape with 15.2 points, 7.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds in five games.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Lakers own the second-best record (third-best in the NBA) in the West with a 15-5 record. Their recent seven-game win streak was snapped on Monday against the Phoenix Suns.
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