Lakers’ Luka Doncic exits game with leg soreness

The Lakers held their breath Thursday night.

Luka Doncic was ruled out for the remainder of the Lakers’ game against Philadelphia after experiencing left leg soreness, the team announced.

And it didn’t come out of nowhere. According to multiple reports, Doncic was grabbing at his hamstring for several possessions before heading to the locker room with 3:03 left in the second quarter.

That word — hamstring — is the one that matters. Soreness is manageable. A strain is not.

The Lakers will obviously be hoping this is the former, because the latter can mean weeks, not days.

Doncic, 26, has already missed eight games this season and has been carrying a massive load when available.

Through 41 appearances, he’s averaging 33.4 points, 8.7 assists and 7.9 rebounds, leading the NBA in scoring while playing 36 minutes a night. That’s a lot of torque on the engine.

If Doncic misses time, the trickle-down is immediate. Austin Reaves remains on a minutes restriction coming off a calf strain but could see more on-ball work.

LeBron James would shoulder more playmaking, while trade addition Luke Kennard could see an uptick in usage.