TITLE: Playoff Outlook Complicated by Injuries to Doncic, Embiid, Sabonis and Smart
SLUG: injury-updates-doncic-embiid-sabonis-smart
CONTENT:
LOS ANGELES — The Lakers are bracing for the postseason without Luka Doncic after the star guard sustained a Grade 2 hamstring strain just days before the playoffs begin.
Essentially Sports’ Mark Medina consulted three medical specialists for insight into Doncic’s recovery. Dr. Shaheen Jadidi of Endeavor Health, Dr. Jesse Morse, a non-surgical orthopedic expert, and Dr. Nirav Pandya, an orthopedic surgery professor at UCSF, all placed a three-to-six-week timetable on a typical return from this type of injury.
“These Grade 2 strains usually take three to six weeks,” Pandya said, adding that the condensed playoff schedule raises concerns about both availability and effectiveness.
Morse described the injury as a “partial tear,” comparing it to asking “a half-inch rope to do the work of a full-inch rope.” He called three weeks the absolute minimum for recovery and warned of elevated re-injury risk, especially given Doncic’s prior hamstring issues.
Additional Injury Updates Around the NBA
Philadelphia: Joel Embiid will sit out Saturday’s matchup with the Pistons for oblique injury management and illness. After playing Friday, Embiid expressed frustration over recent decisions that kept him out of action, noting his previously strained right oblique was hit during the win over Minnesota.
Sacramento: Domantas Sabonis, sidelined since Feb. 4 following left meniscus surgery, attended Friday’s victory against the Pelicans. The center reported he has been on crutches for six weeks and aims to resume on-court work in July.
Los Angeles: Lakers guard Marcus Smart will miss his seventh consecutive game Sunday in Dallas because of a right leg contusion, the team announced.
Teams will monitor each player’s progress closely as the postseason approaches.
Source: Hoops Rumors
