
Luka Doncic of the Lakers is unlikely to return for the playoffs due to a severe hamstring injury. He has begun running but has not yet progressed to on-court contact drills.
Lakers star Luka Doncic takes a shot during a timeout from play in the second half of Game 1 on Tuesday in Oklahoma City. (Kyle Phillips / Associated Press)
With the Lakers down 1-0 in the Western Conference semifinals, Luka Doncic is unlikely to return in the playoffs because of an injured hamstring that had an inital eight-week timeline for his return.
Doncic, speaking to reporters for the first time since he hobbled off the court at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center on April 2, said Wednesday he has improved enough to begin running but he has not progressed to on-court contact drills. After suffering a left hamstring injury earlier this season, Doncic said the latest Grade 2 strain to the same area is unlike any he’s experienced because of its severity.
After his injury, Doncic said doctors told him that he would be out for roughly two months. He went to Spain and received platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections with hopes to help his recovery and stayed for roughly two weeks because he needed to wait four days between each injection. He received four in total.
Without their leading scorer, the Lakers fought through a six-game, first-round series against the Houston Rockets, playing three of those games without , who was also injured in the same game as Doncic. The fourth-seeded Lakers to the defending champion Thunder in Game 1 on Tuesday.
Luka Doncic is unlikely to play in the playoffs due to a severe Grade 2 hamstring strain.
Doctors initially estimated an eight-week recovery timeline for Luka Doncic's hamstring injury.
Luka Doncic received platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in Spain to aid his recovery.

After the 2026 draft, the Saints are now one of the NFL's youngest teams.
Everton is leading the charge to sign €25M defender Federico Gatti from Juventus.
MHSAA introduces new seeding model for high school football playoffs
AHSAA 2026 softball regional pairings are set! Tournaments start May 11.
Clippers Have Fun Mocking Pacers as Draft Lottery Approaches
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
“It's very frustrating,” Doncic said of the injury. “I don't think people understand how frustrating it is. All I want to do is play basketball, especially at this time. It's the best time to play basketball. It's very frustrating seeing what my team is doing, I'm very proud of them. It's been very tough just to see and watch them play.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.