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Lakers star Luka Doncic out for rest of regular season with Grade 2 hamstring injury
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- Lakers star Luka Doncic out for rest of regular season with Grade 2 hamstring injury
DALLAS — Lakers star Luka Doncic will be sidelined for the rest of the regular season because of Grade 2 left hamstring injury he suffered during Thursday's road loss to the Thunder , the team announced on Friday after Doncic received an MRI.
Even though the Lakers didn't provide an official timeline for when Doncic is expected to return to the court or be reevaluated, he will also likely miss the start of the playoffs, which start on April 18.
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Grade 2 hamstring strains typically come with a recovery timeline of 3-6 weeks. InStreetClothes, which is an NBA injury database ran by certified athletic trainer Jeff Stotts, stated that the average time lost for type of injury Doncic suffered is about 35 days.
The Lakers, who are 50-27 and at third place in the Western Conference standings, already clinched a playoff spot and will bypass the play-in tournament (April 14-17) for the second straight season.
Three weeks from when Doncic suffered the hamstring injury is April 23, which would be around Games 3 or 4 of the Lakers' first-round playoff matchup.
A timeline closer to 35 days, let alone six weeks, would likely take Doncic out of the Lakers' entire first-round playoff series, even if it lasted seven games.
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Doncic left during the third quarter of the Lakers' blowout loss to the Thunder after suffering the hamstring injury drive attempt against Thunder wing Jalen Williams .
Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts from the floor after a play during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Getty Images
He was hobbling and limping to stay off his left leg before laying down underneath the basket by the Thunders' bench, with coach JJ Redick calling timeout to sub Doncic out of the game.
"At this point, at this juncture of the season, it's the last thing you want to see," LeBron James said after Thursday's game. "Anybody on our team, but when you have an MVP candidate on your team, the last thing you want to see is somebody go down with a hamstring injury."
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Doncic was on the injury report because of left hamstring soreness before the March 27 home win over the Nets , but played after being listed as questionable, scoring 41 points in 39 minutes to lead the Lakers to a victory.
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He sat out of Monday's win over the Wizards , serving his one-game suspension because of an accumulation of technical fouls after picking up his 16th of the season against the Nets, before having 42 points in Tuesday's home win over the Cavaliers.
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Doncic sat out of the Lakers' last four games leading into the All-Star break because of a left hamstring strain .
He appeared to injure the left hamstring in the first half but tried to play through.
Doncic was seen grabbing at his hamstring after making a layup late in the first quarter, and again late in the second quarter after driving and passing to Luke Kennard .
"We checked him out," Redick said on Thursday. "He got work done. He was cleared. I mean, again, we're not going to put a player at risk. Those things happen."
Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to pass the ball during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE via Getty Images
Doncic walked off the court under his own power before going back to the locker room.
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"You wish for the best," Austin Reaves said on Thursday. "Obviously, you don't want to see anybody get hurt. But you hold on to some faith for the best news possible. I've gotten to know him the last year and a half. He's a competitor, so he'll do all he can do to put himself in a position to come back when he can."
