Luka Doncic will miss the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers’ regular season after an MRI revealed a Grade 2 strain in his left hamstring, the club announced Friday.
The team did not provide a recovery timetable beyond the regular season, which ends April 12. According to injury analyst Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com, players with Grade 2 hamstring strains typically need about 35 days to return, potentially sidelining Doncic through the entire opening round of the playoffs that begins April 18.
Los Angeles secured a postseason berth earlier this week and sits third in the Western Conference. With the league’s leading scorer unavailable, the Lakers will lean more heavily on Austin Reaves and LeBron James for both offense and playmaking.
Doncic appeared to injure the hamstring late in the second quarter of Thursday’s game at Oklahoma City and pulled up again on a drive in the third. The Lakers trailed by 38 points at the time and ultimately fell by 43.
Award-eligibility challenge possible
Doncic has played 64 games, one short of the 65-game threshold required for most major postseason awards. The Collective Bargaining Agreement includes an “extraordinary circumstances” provision that could keep him eligible. He missed two contests earlier this season while traveling to Slovenia for the birth of his child. Under the CBA, he may file for an exemption during a 24-hour window that opens at noon ET on the final day of the season. Agent Billy Duffy told ESPN’s Shams Charania that the application will be submitted.
If approved, Doncic would remain a leading candidate for a fifth First Team All-NBA selection. He is averaging 33.5 points, 8.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 35.8 minutes per game, shooting 47.6 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from three and 78.0 percent at the line.
Source: Hoops Rumors
