Lakers limping into game vs. Blazers with no Luka Doncic

The Lakers are limping into Portland, and this time it is not just about the previous loss.

After falling at home to Charlotte, the Lakers will be without the league’s leading scorer on Saturday night. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports that Luka Doncic will sit out with left groin soreness.

The injury report does not stop there. Centers Jaxson Hayes and Deandre Ayton are both listed as questionable, Hayes with left hamstring tendinopathy and Ayton with left knee soreness.

The backdrop is a defensive performance that raised eyebrows inside the locker room. According to Janis Carr of The Orange County Register, Marcus Smart did not mince words after the Hornets torched Los Angeles for 137 points while shooting over 53 percent from the field.

“When they play us, everything goes through the roof,” Smart said. “We have to figure it out.”

Now the Lakers (24-15) try to do exactly that, short-handed and on the road, with urgency suddenly more than a buzzword.