Sports medicine doctor fears Luka Doncic has fractured his spine

Before Game 5 between the LA Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves came to an end, Luka Doncic made headlines as he suffered an apparent back injury. With about a minute left in the first half, Doncic drove to the basket, got challenged by both Donte DiVincenzo and Rudy Gobert, and later clutched his back in pain.

During the second half, Dr. Brian Sutterer — a content creator who publishes videos explaining sports-related injuries — went on X to give his take on Doncic's situation:

"Not trying to be dramatic, but Luka may have a fracture in his spine," Dr. Sutterer tweeted.

Though Doncic took an early trip to the locker room after that fateful drive to the basket, he started the second half and continued to produce for the Lakers. However, he was seen clutching his back from time to time, indicating that the pain was still bothering him even as he opted to stay in the game.

The Slovenian guard ended up topscoring for the Lakers with 28 points on 7-for-18 shooting from the field. He also finished with seven rebounds, nine assists, and one steal. However, his near triple-double performance would not be enough as the Lakers lost 103-96 to the Wolves.

With the Lakers' season now over, Doncic can focus on recovering from his latest injury. The five-time All-Star arrived in Tinseltown towards the tail end of his recuperation from a calf injury that he'd sustained while playing for the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas day. Ironically, the Mavs' opponent that night happened to be the Timberwolves as well.

Luka Doncic's former teammate watches Game 5 live at Crypto.com Arena

As if the Doncic injury and the Lakers' elimination weren't enough, Game 5 contained another subplot that will certainly have fans and analysts buzzing for days.

Kyrie Irving, a former teammate of both Luka Doncic and LeBron James, was spotted sitting courtside at Crypto.com Arena as Game 5 took place:

For years, there have been rumors of a potential James-Irving reunion in LA. It's also worth noting that Doncic and Irving — who affectionately called each other "mi hermano" — established a close relationship during their time together in Dallas.

Though the logistics of an Irving move to the Lakers don't look promising, the one-time NBA champion's appearance in Tinseltown is nevertheless an interesting sight.

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