The Los Angeles Lakers started their final playoff push on the wrong foot with a 110-97 upset loss to the lowly Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

Rebounding from that heartbreaking loss barely 24 hours later will be doubly harder with Luka Doncic and Jarred Vanderbilt out while LeBron James is questionable to play in their Thursday visit at Portland.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers announced that Doncic will sit out the second game of a back-to-back schedule for injury management of his left calf injury, which he sustained on Dec. 25 last year when he was still with the Dallas Mavericks.

Vanderbilt is also on load management since returning from a right foot injury that was surgically repaired in the offseason.

James, who drew flak for skipping the 2025 NBA All-Star game, is questionable with left foot injury management.

The 40-year-old James played 38 minutes against the Hornets, delivering 26 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds with two blocks and one steal.

Doncic played 33 minutes, the most he's played since he joined the Lakers in the seismic trade which involved former Lakers' All-Defensive center Anthony Davis.

The 25-year-old Slovenian star is still clearly out of sync and out of shape as he missed 13 of 18 shots and committed a game-high six turnovers. He finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.