Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers has headed to the locker room after suffering an apparent injury in the team’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The injury occurred early in the third quarter in a key Thursday night game that the Lakers had been trailing for most of the contest.
In 26 minutes, Doncic had 12 points on 3/10 shooting, with four rebounds, seven assists, and six turnovers.
According to the Lakers, Doncic officially suffered a left hamstring injury, and he will not return to the game, set to have an MRI on Friday, April 3.
Luka Doncic Injury Update
Doncic will not return to the game for the Lakers, the team announced, per multiple top insiders.
Doncic left the game in the third quarter and has not returned to the game for the Lakers. Early sources point to the star suffering a hamstring injury.
According to Khobi Price of the California Post, Doncic was grabbing at his leg earlier in the game, the same leg in of which he suffered the injury that forced him to head to the locker room.
“You can see Luka Doncic grabbing at his left hamstring during this play near the end of the first half,” he wrote on X.
Per Dan Woike of The Athletic, Doncic is set to undergo an MRI to understand the full scope of the injury.
“A league source confirms that Luka Dončić will undergo MRI testing on his left hamstring tomorrow to determine the severity of the injury,” he wrote.
This season, Doncic is averaging 33.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.7 steals on 47.7/36.8/77.9 shooting splits in 63 games while the Lakers are third in the West with a 50-26 record.
He has been a top MVP candidate for most of the season, and which his recent play in the month of March, he holds top-three MVP odds, only behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama.
His chances to win the award are now in question, and will continue to be until the Lakers announce a final injury update, return date, or official timeline.
He has played in 64 games this season, and with five games left after the matchup against the Thunder for the Lakers in their schedule, he will need to play at least one more game to qualify for end of season awards.
“Including tonight, Luka Doncic has played in 64 games. The Lakers have 5 games remaining this season,” Brett Siegel wrote in a post on X. “If this hamstring injury is anything more than a minor tweak and he misses time, Doncic may join Cade Cunningham and Anthony Edwards in being ineligible for awards & honors.”
Lakers vs. Thunder Game
As mentioned, Doncic left the game with an apparent leg injury in the third quarter and did not return for the Lakers.
While he was in the game, Los Angeles was down for most of the night.
“Biggest concern for LA right now is the status of Luka Doncic, who exited in the third with a left leg injury. Any absence for him down the stretch could jeopardize LA’s seeding and playoff viability. LA has been obliterated on both ends,” Jovan Buha wrote on X.
Lu Dort of the Thunder left the game with an injury in the third quarter, and did not return.
Reaves also appeared to be dealing with a back injury after a collision in the third half.
By the final whistle, the Thunder beat the Lakers 139-96.
“Lakers lose 139-96. Luka Dončić injures his hamstring and is set for an MRI. Austin Reaves leaves (more) banged up. And the talent/physicality gap between these teams was obvious. Hard to imagine how it could’ve gone worse for the Lakers,” Woike added.
Notable stat lines from the game include LeBron James with 13 points, six rebounds, and two assists in 26 minutes, while Austin Reaves had 15 points and four rebounds in 27 minutes. No player for the Lakers finished with more than 15 points, as the injured Doncic led the team in scoring.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 28 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists for the Thunder.
The Lakers have now lost just their third game since the start of March. They now 50-27 and remain third in the Western Conference standings.
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