Lakers Lose Luka Doncic for Remainder of Regular Season with Grade 2 Hamstring Strain
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The Los Angeles Lakers will finish the regular season without Luka Doncic after an MRI on Friday confirmed a Grade 2 strain in the guard’s left hamstring, the team announced.
Doncic suffered the injury during the third quarter of Thursday night’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 27-year-old will be re-evaluated ahead of the postseason, and the organization remains hopeful he could return early in the playoffs.
The setback comes as Doncic was producing his best basketball since joining the Lakers. In March, he guided Los Angeles to a 15-2 record while averaging 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.3 steals. His performance earned him Western Conference Player of the Month honors and a nomination for Defensive Player of the Month.
This is the second hamstring issue Doncic has faced this season; he missed four games in February with a mild strain in the same leg. The current Grade 2 diagnosis is more severe, and the Lakers emphasized that he will not rush his recovery.
Doncic has appeared in 64 games. If he does not play again before the regular season ends, league rules make him ineligible for awards such as MVP and All-NBA. The club could petition for an exception because he missed two contests earlier in the year for the birth of his daughter.
Los Angeles, already assured of a playoff spot, holds a one-game edge over the Denver Nuggets for the Western Conference’s third seed with five games remaining. While Doncic recovers, added responsibility is expected to fall on LeBron James, who recently settled into a tertiary scoring role behind Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Source: Lakers Nation
