By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid guard and potential No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft Luka Doncic is expected to miss two weeks of action due to the injury he sustained on the back of his thigh, per an announcement by the Slovenian Basketball Federation.
The 19-year-old EuroLeague MVP candidate will thus stay out in at least four important upcoming matches: Tonight’s clash with Panathinaikos, Sunday’s Spanish League Clasico against archrival Barcelona plus the EuroLeague road games vs. Olimpia Milano and Valencia.
This is a major blow for Real Madrid that enters the crucial final stretch of the EuroLeague regular season minus its top contributor. Doncic is his team’s leading scorer (17 points per game), passer (4.5 assists per game) and also third-best rebounder (5 boards per game). He is also the EuroLeague leader in PIR (PER) with an average number of 23.1 evaluation points.
Real Madrid have dropped to a 14 – 10 record in EuroLeague after getting beaten in four out of their last six games, a slump that included a pair of defeats at home (to Olympiacos and Fenerbahce). While they seem to be in no apparent danger of falling below the playoffs zone, the next set of matches will be decisive regarding finishing in the Top 4, thus gaining homecourt advantage in the EuroLeague quarterfinals.
The Spanish powerhouse has been no stranger to injury woes this season. They are still missing 2017 All-EuroLeague selection and MVP Sergio Llull while they have played minus key big guys Anthony Randolph and Gustavo Ayon for long periods during the current campaign. Back in October, they also saw center Ognjen Kuzmic suffering a season-ending injury.
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