Luka Doncic is very good at basketball, but sometimes he is also very sturdy. During the most recent meeting between the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Lakers, things became a bit too sturdy for Collin Murray-Boyles. The rookie had to leave the game early.
The report says Luka gave Murray-Boyles a hard smack. It sounds like something that happens in a playground dispute over a marble collection, but in the NBA, it usually results in an injury update. Murray-Boyles did not come back.
The Raptors lost the game 110 to 93 in Los Angeles. Losing in California is a long standing tradition for this franchise, much like the way my uncle refuses to buy a new winter coat because he believes the wind will eventually give up.
The Smack and the Fallout
We are still waiting for the full details on what exactly was smacked. Basketball is a game of verticality, but it is also a game where large men accidentally collide with each other while trying to move a sphere.
Murray-Boyles is a rookie, and rookies often find out that the league is less about highlights and more about being hit by people who have much higher credit limits than you. It is a sobering realization.
The Raptors have seen a lot of people go to the locker room this year. It is becoming a very popular destination, though the amenities are likely better than the local community center in Scarborough.
Looking Forward, Briefly
Luka finished the game, because Luka usually does. He plays the game at a speed that suggests he is walking through a grocery store looking for a very specific type of cheese, yet no one can stop him.
We will wait for the medical staff to do their things with the clipboards. Until then, we just have the memory of the smack. It was hard, it was sudden, and it was very Raptors.
Next up, the team has to play more basketball. It is a mandatory requirement of their contracts. We will be here, watching and wondering if the baskets are slightly smaller for those wearing red and white.