expected

On the night the Lakers introduced the newly-acquired guard Luke Kennard, they also discuss relatively good news about Luka Doncic’s injury and how long he’ll be out.

The Lakers said Doncic was diagnosed with a mild left hamstring strain and will be listed as day-to-day, starting with Saturday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers play Oklahoma Monday night and San Antonio Tuesday night before playing the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night. The NBA All-Star game follows on Feb. 15 and the Lakers don’t play again until Feb. 20 against the Clippers at home.

So, Lakers coach JJ Redick and president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka both were asked Saturday night if Doncic would be able to play in the all-star game or if it would be best for him to rest.

“I’ve been around him as a teammate and as a coach and I know he [loves to] plays. If he’s able to play, he plays. I think he wants to be in the all-star game,” Redick said. “I know he wants to play against Dallas, the game before the all-star game. He has his team working on him day and night. So again, it’s day to day and when he’s ready to play, we’ll get him out there.”

Doncic, who leads the NBA in scoring (32.8) and is second in assists (8.6), earned the most all-star game votes. In the new all-star game format of “U.S. vs. the World,” Doncic would play for the world team because he’s from Slovenia.

“Luka, one of his greatest qualities is when he has an injury or he’s unavailable for a game, he is deeply upset,” Pelinka, who spoke to the media for the first time since September. “He just can’t stand not playing basketball. He loves the game so much and wants to play every night. And that’s an incredible quality. Just a player who’s like fighting and clawing to play versus looking for a reason maybe not to. So we commend Luka for that. In terms of this injury, the good news is it doesn’t appear to be anything serious. It was a mild hamstring strain and he is truly day to day.”

Kennard didn’t waste any time making an impact for the Lakers during their game against the Warriors.

He drilled his first shot as a Laker, a high arching 25-foot three pointer with 2:23 left in the first quarter.

The shot was set up by Austin Reaves, giving Kennard a glimpse of what life will be like playing with the Lakers’ big three of LeBron James, Doncic and Reaves.

“Those guys attract so much attention to other teams on the offensive end and for me, it’s just spacing the floor, making the right plays at all times and just being aggressive out there,” Kennard said before the game about his role. “Coming off the bench and just looking to hunt my shot at all times. I know that’s what they want me to do as a team and the coaches and I’m looking forward to doing that.”

Etc.

Pelinka said the Lakers have a roster spot available and will look at the buy-out market to potentially find a player to add to the team. But, according to people with knowledge of the matter not authorized to discuss it publicly, the Lakers don’t have interest in Cam Thomas, a 6-foot-3 guard who was waived by the Brooklyn Nets.

“Yeah, so we have an open roster spot and we are in sort of active conversations with some players that are available now, doing our due diligence,” Pelinka said. “And then of course, to your point, players down the road could come in through the buyout market. So, we are evaluating that 15th roster spot and at some point probably will likely fill it.”

Daniel Moxon was blown away by the remarkable amenities and experiences that he found on board MSC World Europa, one of the very largest cruise ships in the entire world

Massive swimming pools, hot tubs, sun loungers, cool bars and plenty of shopping? Sure. But a giant theatre, a Swarovski Crystal-encrusted staircase and Lewis Hamilton’s racing overalls? Are you kidding?

All of the above are just a handful of the remarkable amenities and experiences you can find on board MSC World Europa, one of the very largest cruise ships in the entire world.

Being new to cruising myself, when I received an invite to take a tour of the ship while it was docked in Barcelona earlier this year, I went into the experience with certain preconceived notions about what I would find on board.

I deliberately decided not to research the ship or its offerings online beforehand, aiming to discover everything on board in a natural way. And I’m so glad I did, because never in a million years did I expect to find what I did.

Formula 1 simulators

As a huge F1 fan myself, and someone whose professional life revolves around the sport, this was certainly the stand-out for me. MSC Cruises has a sponsorship deal with Formula 1 and part of that partnership includes two stunning simulators found on the upper decks.

It’s a really immersive experience with 11 different circuits to choose from, including Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix, and my personal favourite, Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps. There’s also some really cool memorabilia on the wall, including a Lewis Hamilton race suit and gloves, and a decorative Aston Martin halo. Plus a full F1-branded podium to stand on after you smash your best lap time on the sim! I could have stayed there all day.

Swarovski-encrusted staircase

What an incredible example of next-level decadence! Located in the premium sections of the ship is probably the most glitteringly stunning set of stairs you’ll ever come across in your life. For no apparent reason whatsoever beyond: ‘Why not?’

It’s up there with the most Instagrammable features I’ve ever seen, not just on a ship but pretty much anywhere! Entirely unnecessary but completely unexpected, and it’s the exact sort of attraction that makes the MSC World Europa simply unmissable.

A British telephone box

If you’re a Brit worried that travelling with a Swiss-Italian cruise line around the Mediterranean will leave you devoid of touches from home, then fear not. Towards the front of the ship, you’ll find another great feature reminiscent of walking around in any city back home.

As well as being another great backdrop for snaps, it’s the sort of unexpected feature that just brings a smile to your face. And it’s a lovely reminder of home for any Brits on board.

A huge theatre

At 333 metres long, MSC World Europa is undoubtedly a massive ship but, still, you wouldn’t dream that there would be enough room to house a full theatre with a huge amount of seating to watch live performances. But there is!

More than 1,100 people can pack into the theatre to take in a show at any given time. This will be the stand-out feature for any lover of live performances while, for me, it was simply the sheer scale of it which left my jaw on the floor.

The ultimate chocolate cafe

Stay away if you have a weakness for chocolate. I mean it. You will spend an absolute fortune in the Jean-Philippe chocolate shop. It is jam-packed full of so many mouth-watering sweet treats that you’ll find yourself constantly coming back for more.

There were plenty of quirkier items that caught my eye, most notably the scale models of the MSC World Europa, which are made entirely out of chocolate and quite reasonably priced! I’ve never eaten a boat before and have to admit they are much tastier than expected…

Book it

MSC World Europa can be booked from £433 for seven nights on 16 February 2026 to the Mediterranean – departing from Civitavecchia (Rome) and calling at Messina, Valletta, Barcelona, Marseille and Genoa.