Luka Doncic Gets 3 Stitches, Avoids Concussion After Bloody Head Laceration
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic required three stitches to close a head laceration suffered during Friday night's 119-110 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, but team doctors ruled out a concussion.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon provided postgame comments from Doncic, who confirmed he was tested for a concussion both on the bench and after the game.
"I felt a little bit weird a few minutes after the hit, but then it was OK," he said. "There was nothing to worry about. ... It was a little headache. I had a little headache for a few minutes, but then it was over. I put some ice on it and it was better."
Doncic suffered the laceration on a collision with Lakers center Dwight Howard late in the fourth quarter. He remained in the game despite the injury.
The 20-year-old Slovenian rising star held multiple conversations with the referees during the game about a perceived lack of foul calls but said afterward he shouldn't have let it become a distraction, per MacMahon.
"I was just asking if I got hit in the head, how's that not a foul?" Doncic said. "Just should have concentrated on the game and not talked to the refs. That was my fault."
Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle added: "I was upset too, but I'm not going to spend 50 grand to criticize. It just doesn't make sense. These are hard games. I don't know what else to say. They're hard games, and they're very emotional. It's tough. It's tough when you think you're getting hit and the whistle's not blowing."
Doncic posted a triple-double with 31 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds in 38 minutes. It wasn't quite enough to push Dallas over the top, as Lakers superstar LeBron James matched his triple-double with 39 points, 16 dimes and 12 boards of his own across 43 minutes.
The Mavericks dropped to 3-2 with the loss, but more importantly, it doesn't sound like the 2019 Rookie of the Year is going to miss any time with his head injury.
Dallas is back in action Sunday night when it visits the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to face off with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
