Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77).
Facing the Oklahoma City Thunder has already been a daunting task for the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. However, the Lakers’ situation got worse after Luka Doncic suffered an apparent hamstring injury in the middle of the third quarter. The NBA star had to return to the locker room to allow the medical team to monitor his status.
Earlier in the game, the team also suffered a minor setback with Austin Reaves. He returned to the locker room after making a 3-pointer, grabbing his back. In the second quarter, however, the NBA star was back in the game and continued to play.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, the situation worsened with Doncic’s latest injury.
Luka Doncic Suffered a Hamstring Injury
Doncic drove to the basket and came to a stop. He immediately grabbed his left hamstring and went down on the floor. He was in visible pain as he lay on the court before he walked back to the locker room.
Later, Senior NBA Insider for NBA on Prime and The Association on NBATV, Chris Haynes, reported that Doncic would not return to the game.
“Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić (left hamstring) will not return to tonight’s game,” Haynes posted.
Embed X: https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/2039908056805634257
Doncic finished the night with 12 points, four rebounds and seven assists in 25 minutes. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that the NBA star will undergo an MRI on Friday “to determine the extent of his left hamstring injury.”
It’s a tough blow for Doncic and the Lakers. The health of their best player is their No. 1 concern as the end of the regular season is near. After their game against the Thunder, LA has five games left until the Play-In Tournament starts.
Aside from the Lakers needing their best player healthy, it puts Doncic’s eligibility to win NBA awards at risk. He’s appeared in 64 games, including tonight’s Thunder game. He needs one more to be considered for an award.
The Slovenian star is having one of the best seasons of his career and is considered a top candidate to win the MVP award. In the latest MVP update, Doncic is No. 4. In the past month, the Lakers star had a masterful performance, averaging 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists through 16 games, leading the team to a 14-2 record.
Additionally, he could miss out on an All-NBA nod. The last time Doncic was named to any of the All-NBA teams was in the 2023-24 season. Last year, he was limited to 50 games with the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks.