Al-Ittihad CEO building solid foundations for bright future at Jeddah club

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Updated 13 August 2024
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Al-Ittihad CEO building solid foundations for bright future at Jeddah club

Al-Ittihad CEO building solid foundations for bright future at Jeddah club
  • Domingos Soares De Oliveira spoke to Arab News about the standard of the Saudi Pro League, Al-Ittihad’s scouting and Karim Benzema’s status at the club, among other issues
  • Domingos Soares De Oliveira: I think that the work which started maybe one year ago, one year and a half ago, about attracting very important players, it has to continue

At the end of September, 2023, Domingos Soares De Oliveira was announced as the new CEO of Ittihad Club Company, and in February he was named as part of the club’s new three-man Sporting Committee, alongside Sporting Director Ramon Planes and coach Marcelo Gallardo.

The moves look to give the reigning Saudi Pro League champions the best possible structure and governance as they look to a bright future.

De Oliveira spoke to Arab News about his first six months in the role and gave his views on various topics, including the standard of the Saudi Pro League, Al-Ittihad’s scouting and Karim Benzema’s status at the club.

Here are some highlights from the interview.

Taking over the position of Ittihad Club Company CEO…

At the time I was leaving Benfica, I had different opportunities in terms of new roles in different continents. But when the proposal from Ittihad came, I was really surprised by it because I got a lot of exciting information from the transformation the Kingdom was facing, and all the professional clubs.

This club has a fantastic legacy. We are the (current) champions, we won two Champions Leagues. We were the first club in the Kingdom, I think, and I’m sure that we are the club that has the best fan base. I’m not sure if it is the biggest, but in terms of commitment, in terms of passion, they are fantastic. We have 18 or 19 different sports, so the responsibility about being the CEO of Ittihad is a enormous responsibility. But at the same time, it’s a great challenge also because the Kingdom and the Ittihad, they are facing a new reality.

I think we are entering in a new era. We have right now a transformation process coming from a club with a different profile in terms of shareholders, to now a much more structured club. We have a new management in place, we have a new governance in place, we have a new squad in the sense that we were able, with the best programs, to attract different players — much better players.

I think to be honest, it was the best opportunity a professional like myself as CEO from a European club could get.

Role of Saudi football in the Kingdom’s culture…

Well, it’s quite impressive because I think the story of the Kingdom and the story of our club, they mix together. In fact, the club was established in 1927 and the Kingdom in 1932.

So, you can see Saudi people are very proud of their history, like Ittihad fans. I think you have a great, great history, and really every day I am surprised by this country and the opportunities about this country. It’s about unity, it’s about community, all those values that you have in your country. The same way, we have inside Ittihad.

The ambitions of Saudi football…

Well, the Saudi Pro League has an ambition and we share the ambition as a club. But also, I believe we can easily be part of the top five leagues in the world. And I think we can have the ambition to be much more than that, because we have now a strategy in place, strategy that is totally aligned with Vision 2030.

We also have now a new challenge, which is in 2034 the country will organize the World Cup, so we have to develop our players to be ready for 2034. And in this sense, the transformation that the SPL is doing, for example for next season, to have only 25 players, which means 15 Saudi players in the squad, (will mean) that the clubs will have to invest much more in the Saudi players.

And I think we are part of this process because if you see what we have done in the winter, we hired five Saudi young players and we are very happy with the way they are performing here. In fact, we have, as you know, the Olympics team and we will have to take five players from our squad to (Paris 2024). We are proud about that, even if it represents a difficult challenge for our coach.

How technology will impact football…

Technology will have a strong impact in two areas.

First of all, in terms of the digitalization that we have inside the company, all departments, the commercial departments, financial, all of them are embracing digital.

For scouting, it will be extremely relevant to gather as much information as we can from players, to have access to information that happens in the training sessions, to have access to live information that you have during those matches. The SPL is already sending us a lot of information, but we want to go much further and we want to have much more technology in all areas in the club.

Al-Ittihad’s scouting of Saudi talent across the Kingdom…

Scouting is a critical part of our business. Without the right raw materials, you cannot build a good product. This is obvious in any industry, but especially here. So, what we need is, and this is what we are establishing, is, first of all, to have a scouting department with a strong focus in the Kingdom.

So, we will develop a kind of a network of scouts around the Kingdom in order to identify the best talent. In fact, we are not doing that for the first time now. If you see what we did in the winter, and the players we scouted in the winter, we were able to attract those players. Everyone recognized that we did a good job at that time.

But it’s more than that. I think we need to scout at the youngest ages, and not only in Jeddah. We need to be able to identify players that are maybe today eight, nine, 10, 11, 12 years old and to attract them to the club.

We have to take care of them, we have to take care of their families. But we have to have a comprehensive strategy and the comprehensive role model for these young kids and to define a program together with their families, to develop not only the players, but also the young men.

Balancing local and international scouting…

We want players like we have today, which are role models, which are able to play and to work hand-in-hand with the Saudi players.

So, we have a network of of international scouts. In fact, the football department we have today are scouting everywhere (across) the globe. It’s part-international and part-Saudi.

International, (we seek) much more established players; and national, young players that we can be proud of in two or three years from now, and especially in 2034.

Ittihad’s role in helping Saudi Arabia become an international sporting hub…

Saudi has probably the best program I saw so far in terms of becoming a hub for sports. Very often, the investment in other countries is based on investment by the clubs, and the clubs keep themselves in a very, I would say, individual position.

Here, you can understand that the Ministry of Sport has a strategy and they are supporting the clubs in terms of developing the different sports the clubs can have. In our case, we have 19 different sports. We have very individual sports with strong performances. If you look to badminton, to archery, to table tennis, tennis, we have a fantastic group of young players with very good results.

Taking part in the Said Super Cup in Abu Dhabi…

For us to play in the most important competitions, it’s very important. We want to be part of the international competitions, of the Super Cup, of the King’s Cup, of the SPL. We are a club that likes to be challenged, that likes to accept defiance, that likes to fight, because we have this spirit, a fighting spirit.

So, going for the Super Cup, even if it is in Abu Dhabi, even if it will be a little bit more difficult for our fans to be there, even if we have some players that are playing (with the Olympic team), and we are proud of that, we are facing that with strong confidence. We believe that we can deliver a very good result and our ambition, and our president’s ambition, and our coach’s ambition, is to succeed.

Al-Ittihad’s new sporting committee…

The sporting committee is something that the board decided to create. So, it’s a decision coming from the board and in the sporting committee there are three persons: Myself, the sports director, Ramon Planes, but also the coach (Marcelo Gallardo). The sporting committee is mainly in charge of the decisions related with the market. So, with players that we want to hire, with analyzing the squads, where do we have positions that we need to reinforce, which players are now maybe at the stage that we would eventually prefer them to to be sold? Because, of course, the clubs also need these revenues coming from player-trading.

So, it’s about the sporting decisions, not, of course, the decisions from the coach. We do not decide who is going to play or not, but in terms of especially around the market and around the players. I think it was a very brave decision from the board because very often the board members like to be involved in these kinds of operations, but they understand that it’s critical that such decisions are taken by professional people that are used to take those decisions.

The five players we hired in the winter transfer window are a result of this sporting committee’s decisions and the support we got from the board to take those decisions.

The professional standards of the Saudi Pro League…

The Saudi Pro League is a very interesting competition. We have very good players in the Saudi Pro League and we have very good organization inside the SPL with experts that I met for the first time here, but are people that know a lot about the industry. I was myself part of the Portuguese league for a very specific topic, which is the TV rights.

But what I found here is extremely professional. Now, for the product to be very attractive, we need that the competition is strong, so all clubs have to try to fight for the same results. Of course, there are clubs that are bigger than others. In this sense, I think that the work which started maybe one year ago, one year and a half ago, about attracting very important players, it has to continue.

We need to attract more players and to have those players in the different clubs, for the matches to be much more attractive. We don’t want that it’s easy to win against a small team. It should be the same concept as, for example, the Premier League, where a small team can beat a big team because the TV rights revenues are spread in a very democratic way.

The Saudi players that have impressed the most..

My players, to be very honest. So, those are the players that I like. I don’t want to emphasize one specific player because then it would be unfair for the rest of the players.

But I think we have a group of Saudi players, some of them quite senior, others quite young. They all deserve my respect — I think they are very good professionals.

Growing the Al-Ittihad brand globally…

Al-Ittihad is already a well-known club outside Saudi because it’s part of the Kingdom’s historical brand, but also because we were able to attract some young players and players like Benzema, like Kante, like Fabinho, Luis Felipe, Jota. They bring a lot of attention to the club.

But I think we need to move forward. That’s the reason, for example, this preseason will be different from the preseason we had last season. So, we will be in Europe. We will have part of the work we will do during the preseason (be) between Spain and Portugal. We will play European matches not only in Portugal and Spain, but also probably in Central Europe.

This is what we want to do. We want, first of all, to prepare our players for new challenges. We want them to play against very important teams in Europe, but we want also the international community to be aware about the quality we have in this club. And I think it is a good opportunity to showcase some of the Saudi players that we have today, as they are very, very good.

I don’t think they are well known in the market, but they will be known if we take those players and we put them in the best stadiums, playing against the best teams.

The impact of signing Karim Benzema…

Well, let’s start with off the pitch. It’s obvious, Karim is a player that is, I would say, a global player. There are very few global players. I would call it a global brand, but it’s a global player. Everyone in the world knows Karim Benzema. So, the impact from Karim Benzema followers in our club was impressive.

I think that the fact just to see Karim with the black and yellow shirt, it’s a fantastic demonstration for the world about our club and the way we can attract these kind of players.

But the second, on the pitch, it’s much more important than the first one. Karim is the Ballon d’Or winner. Karim played in probably one of the best leagues in the world. He was part of the French national team. So, the quality of Karim — no one can have any doubt about that. Karim, as you know, was injured for a certain period and probably the last two months. Now, in the last training sessions we had this week, Karim is already in very good shape and I think he will be extremely important for the rest of the season.

I’m glad to see that he’s smiling, I’m glad to see that he’s committed and I will be glad to see him on the pitch.

Addressing the supporters’ frustrations this season…

My experience about the role we have in the club cannot only be in this very short term. I understand their frustration, and their frustration is my frustration. We would love to have delivered better results during this season. But, from my experience, the right thing to do is to prepare the foundations for the future.

If we have the right foundations, we will be able to deliver the best results in the future and the right foundations, right now, is, among others, to have an academy. We have already the new land, and we will start building the academy in a very short period. The foundations are also about having a very good management team, a very good professional team. We have already a professional team in place.

The foundations are also about taking smart decisions in building the squad between international players and between Saudi players. We are taking those decisions.

Those foundations, once they are in place, the success, the sporting success, will be obvious. We need to go faster, we need to go deeper than our competitors, and we will do that. So, for our fans, that I totally respect, I understand them, but please believe that we are doing the right job right now, which is to prepare the future.

The future will be a brilliant future.


Junior Hockey Championship to kick off in Riyadh with eight teams

Junior Hockey Championship to kick off in Riyadh with eight teams
Updated 18 sec ago
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Junior Hockey Championship to kick off in Riyadh with eight teams

Junior Hockey Championship to kick off in Riyadh with eight teams
  • Tournament will feature eight teams representing Al-Tarbiyah, Al-Namouthajiyah and Al-Arqam schools

RIYADH: The 2025 Central Region Boys’ Junior Hockey Championship will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday at the indoor sports hall of Al-Manarat International Schools in Riyadh.

Organized by the Saudi Hockey Federation, the tournament will feature eight teams representing Al-Tarbiyah, Al-Namouthajiyah and Al-Arqam schools, competing for the championship title.

The event is part of a series of school tournaments initiated by the Saudi Hockey Federation to promote the sport at the grassroots level.

The federation emphasized that a key objective of the championship was to identify and nurture young talent while enhancing players’ skills.

The initiative aims to develop a new generation of athletes who could represent Saudi Arabia in international competitions in the future, and the tournament aligns with the country’s broader efforts to advance sports development and encourage youth participation in various disciplines. 


Spin attack leads India to Champions Trophy title

Spin attack leads India to Champions Trophy title
Updated 09 March 2025
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Spin attack leads India to Champions Trophy title

Spin attack leads India to Champions Trophy title
  • India finish unbeaten in the eight-nation contest played in Pakistan and UAE

DUBAI: Rohit Sharma made a combative 76 to back up a potent spin bowling display as India beat New Zealand by four wickets to win a record third Champions Trophy title on Sunday.

Chasing 252 to win, India got off to a fast start through their captain’s first half-century of the tournament before KL Rahul hit an unbeaten 34 to help seal victory with six balls to spare in the final in Dubai.

India added to their trophies in 2002 and 2013 to go past Australia, who have two titles. India finished unbeaten in the eight-nation tournament played in Pakistan and the UAE.

In a battle of spin on a sluggish Dubai pitch, New Zealand’s bowlers put India in trouble at 203-5 with Rohit and Shreyas Iyer, who hit 48, back in the pavilion.

But Rahul kept calm and along with Hardik Pandya (18) and Ravindra Jadeja, who hit the winning boundary, steered the team home to loud cheers from a largely Indian crowd in a sea of blue.

India played all their matches at the Dubai International Stadium after they refused to tour hosts Pakistan due to political tensions.

India played four spinners in their last three matches, which proved telling in deciding the outcome.

Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets each to help restrict New Zealand to 251-7 after the Black Caps elected to bat first.

In reply, Rohit came out firing as he took on the pace bowlers with regular boundaries including a six and two fours in one over off Nathan Smith.

The captain reached his fifty in 41 balls to put the pressure on the opposition.

New Zealand’s spinners attempted to pull things back and a stunning catch from Glenn Phillips secured a key breakthrough.

Phillips went airborne to pluck a flying ball at extra cover to dismiss Shubman Gill for 31 off skipper Mitchell Santner.

Virat Kohli fell in the next over, trapped lbw for one off Michael Bracewell’s off spin and the momentum shifted as runs dried up for India.

Rohit, after a maiden over from Bracewell, jumped out of his crease against Rachin Ravindra only to be stumped by Latham as India slipped from 105 without loss to 122-3.

Iyer controlled the chase aided by a dropped catch by Kyle Jamieson but soon fell to Santner.

India lost Axar Patel and Pandya but Rahul stood strong to drag his team over the line.

New Zealand missed their pace spearhead Matt Henry after he was forced out of the final due to a shoulder injury.

Kane Williamson also could not come out to field after his batting effort of 11 due to a quad strain.

Daryl Mitchell hit 63 and Bracewell made a quickfire 53 not out for New Zealand, but it was not enough against an Indian side with considerable batting depth.


Chelsea go fourth as Spurs salvage Bournemouth draw

Chelsea go fourth as Spurs salvage Bournemouth draw
Updated 09 March 2025
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Chelsea go fourth as Spurs salvage Bournemouth draw

Chelsea go fourth as Spurs salvage Bournemouth draw
  • It was only Chelsea’s fourth victory in their last 12 league games as they responded to boss Enzo Maresca’s challenge to win all their remaining home matches

LONDON: Chelsea boosted their bid to qualify for the Champions League as Marc Cucurella’s rocket sealed a 1-0 win over

Leicester, while Tottenham fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Bournemouth on Sunday.

Cucurella struck in the second half at Stamford Bridge to lift Chelsea above Manchester City into fourth in the Premier League.

The Blues are two points ahead of City in the race for the top four finish that guarantees a Champions League berth.

It was only Chelsea’s fourth victory in their last 12 league games as they responded to boss Enzo Maresca’s challenge to win all their remaining home matches.

Maresca believes that should be enough to ensure Champions League action, but Chelsea will have to improve on a spluttering performance against second-bottom Leicester.

Cole Palmer missed a penalty for Chelsea and was later substituted, making it seven league games without a goal or assist amid criticism of the England forward’s frustrated body language.

Maresca left Leicester at the end of last season after leading them to promotion and the Foxes look destined to return to the Championship without him.

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side have lost five successive league games and sit six points from safety.

Chelsea legends Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Dennis Wise, Kerry Dixon and Ron Harris were on the pitch before kick-off to celebrate the club’s 120th anniversary.

This was far from a highlight moment in Chelsea’s illustrious history however.

Victor Kristiansen’s clumsy challenge pole-axed Jadon Sancho, earning Chelsea a first half spot kick.

Usually such a ruthless penalty taker, Palmer seized the ball as he looked to end his drought, only for Mads Hermansen to deny him with a superb save.

It was the first penalty miss of Palmer’s career and Leicester almost made him pay immediately.

Error-prone Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez completely missed James Justin’s cross and Tosin Adarabioyo’s miscued headed clearance thudded off the woodwork.

Chelsea finally took the lead in spectacular fashion on the hour when Spanish defender Cucurella drilled into the bottom corner from 25 yards.

At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Bournemouth missed a chance to climb into the top four race as the hosts saved boss Ange Postecoglou from another embarrassing defeat.

Tottenham lost 1-0 at AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League last 16 first leg on Thursday.

That competition represents Tottenham’s last chance of fulfilling Postecoglou’s boast that he always win a trophy in his second season.

Languishing in 13th in the Premier League, Postecoglou’s side have gone three games without a win in all competitions.

Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke shook off a back injury for his first league appearance since January, while Cristian Romero returned to the Tottenham defense for the first time since December after a thigh injury.

Despite those reinforcements, Tottenham conceded in the 42nd minute, when Marcus Tavernier applied the finishing touch to Milos Kerkez’s pin-point cross after

Pedro Porro carelessly conceded possession.

Postecoglou sent on Son Heung-min at half-time in a bid to spark Tottenham and the South Korean was inches away from equalising as his deflected strike whistled wide.

Bournemouth struck again in the 65th minute as Evanilson raced onto Justin Kluivert’s pass and lifted a composed finish over Guglielmo Vicario.

But Pape Sarr reduced the deficit two minutes later, the Tottenham midfielder catching out Bournemouth keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga with a misjudged cross that somehow dipped in at the far post.

Tottenham completed their escape in the 84th minute as Kepa conceded a penalty with a desperate lunge on Son.

Son calmly slotted home from the spot for his first goal in 10 games, taking him to 11 in all competitions this season.

Later on Sunday, second-placed Arsenal face Manchester United at Old Trafford looking to close the gap on runaway leaders Liverpool to 13 points.


Fireballs, Garcia claim wins at LIV Golf Hong Kong

Fireballs, Garcia claim wins at LIV Golf Hong Kong
Updated 09 March 2025
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Fireballs, Garcia claim wins at LIV Golf Hong Kong

Fireballs, Garcia claim wins at LIV Golf Hong Kong
  • Spanish star leads his team to double tries as Mickelson makes first podium

HONG KONG: Sergio Garcia and his red-hot Fireballs GC team captured both trophies on Sunday at LIV Golf Hong Kong, while HyFlyers GC Captain Phil Mickelson appears to have recaptured his Hall of Fame form.

Led by their captain Garcia, the Fireballs have now won back-to-back tournaments, having claimed LIV Golf Adelaide last month. They will head to next week’s LIV Golf Singapore presented by Aramco seeking to become the first LIV Golf team to win three consecutive tournaments since the league expanded to a full 14-tournament schedule in 2023.

Garcia shot a bogey-free 7-under 63 to finish at 18 under and claim the individual title by three shots over hard-charging Dean Burmester, whose 62 was the low round of the day. Garcia, who finished third in the season-long Individual Championship race last season, moved atop the points standings after the first three events in 2025.

The 45-year-old Garcia played the final hole on Sunday with a comfortable individual lead but needed to make par to avoid dropping into a team playoff with Burmester’s Stinger GC. Facing a lengthy birdie putt, he rolled it to within tap-in range to seal the Fireballs’ sixth LIV Golf team title in club history. They climbed atop the season-long team standings by 10 points over Legion XIII.

“It was nice to see not only that I was doing well and leading the tournament, but my teammates were playing great,” said Garcia, who follows teammate Abraham Ancer as individual champions in Hong Kong. “They were keeping us there with a chance to win. Obviously when you can pull the double, it’s a lot sweeter than if it’s just one of them. Very proud of them.”

The Fireballs and Stingers appeared headed for a playoff until Luis Masaveu, the 22-year-old Spaniard signed by Garcia in the offseason, birdied his final hole, the short par-4 10th. “It feels incredible,” said Masaveu. “… Very happy for the team to be able to hole that putt and help them.”

Masaveu shot an even-par 70, with Ancer shooting 65 and David Puig a bogey-free 67 for a three-day team total of 37 under. The South African Stingers shot 17 under as a team Sunday to finish one shot back. Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC tied for third at 34 under with Cameron Smith’s Ripper GC, the reigning Team Champions. It was the HyFlyers’ third podium result in team history.

Individually, Mickelson finished solo third after his 64 left him at 14 under. It is the first podium finish for the 54-year-old Mickelson since joining LIV Golf as an original member in 2022, and it could not have come at a better time with golf’s first major just a month away at the Masters.

“The fact is, I’m hitting a lot of good shots. I’m playing some good golf,” said Mickelson, who has won three of his six majors at Augusta National. “This is a building week as I continue to build into LIV and my goal of accomplishing a win in LIV as well as winning another major or getting ready for Augusta.”

Garcia is also a past Masters champion, and his form has been superb for more than a year. Since the start of the 2024 LIV Golf season, he has two wins, three other runner-up finishes, and 13 top 20s in the last 16 LIV Golf regular season events, including 10 straight after Hong Kong.

He entered Sunday’s final round with a share of the lead but made an early statement by holing a lengthy eagle putt at the par-5 third after finding the green in two with a 6-iron. That gave him a two-shot lead, which he never relinquished.

“It really got me in a good mood,” Garcia said of the eagle. “I was very focused on what I wanted to do. But obviously when that happens, it gets you going even more.”

Always one of golf’s best ball-strikers, Garcia’s putting was dialed in at Hong Kong Golf Club, as he ranked third in the field in fewest putts during the week after switching to one of his old putters.

“I played with him yesterday,” Masaveu said. “He’s a machine.”

Asked if Garcia with a hot putter is as good as it gets in professional golf, Ancer offered a one-word response: “Yes.”


LeBron James has ‘not much concern’ after exiting loss to Celtics with late groin injury

LeBron James has ‘not much concern’ after exiting loss to Celtics with late groin injury
Updated 09 March 2025
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LeBron James has ‘not much concern’ after exiting loss to Celtics with late groin injury

LeBron James has ‘not much concern’ after exiting loss to Celtics with late groin injury
  • LeBron James didn’t sound overly concerned about the strained groin that he suffered in the waning minutes of Los Angeles’ loss to Boston
  • He also wasn’t willing to put a timetable on how fast he could be back on the court as the Lakers look to maintain their recent surge in the standings

BOSTON: LeBron James didn’t sound overly concerned after straining his groin in the waning minutes of Los Angeles’ 111-101 loss to Boston on Saturday night.
He also wasn’t willing to put a timetable on how fast he could be back on the court as the Lakers look to maintain their recent surge in the standings.
“Not much concern,” James said. “Obviously, I’m day-to-day. I’ll look at it each day and see if it gets better, and take the proper measures to see what I need to do moving forward.”
James exited during a timeout with 6:44 to play after contesting a layup by Jaylen Brown. He walked gingerly to the huddle during an ensuing timeout and then barely moved before making his way to the locker room with trainers. He finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.
He said his first thoughts went to his first season in Los Angeles in 2018 when he suffered a groin injury during a Christmas Day matchup with Golden State. He missed the next 17 games and the injury bothered him for most of the remainder of the season
“I’ve been there before and I know what type of injury we’re dealing with.,” James said.
The good news is he doesn’t believe this latest injury is as severe as the 2018 one.
He also said he thought about former teammate Anthony Davis, who incurred his current groin injury in his first game in Dallas following his trade for Luka Doncic.
“That’s crazy. But I thought about AD,” James said.
Doncic just wants James to give the injury the rest it needs.
“Obviously, he’s got to take his time,” Doncic said. “Those injuries, I won’t say are the worse, but they’re tough to deal with.”
In the meantime James has confidence that his team, which had its eight-game win streak snapped by Boston, can fill in the gaps as it looks to maintain its place in the West standings. The Lakers (40-22) fell to third place behind Denver after Saturday’s loss and face a tough upcoming stretch.
The Lakers continue a four-game trip Monday night at Brooklyn. It concludes with matchups at Milwaukee and Denver on Thursday and Friday. They then return home March 16 for a four-game homestand that begins with Phoenix and bookends with return visits from the Nuggets and Bucks.
“It doesn’t matter who’s in the lineup, we have to play our game,” James said. “We’ve had guys in and out of the lineup the majority of the year. And we’ve had guys in and out of the lineup the last six weeks. ... Nothing changes.”