Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic plans to travel overseas for specialized medical care to address his Grade 2 left hamstring injury, according to his representatives who spoke with ESPN.
The injury occurred during Thursday’s devastating 139-96 defeat against Oklahoma City. Following an MRI examination on Friday, the team confirmed Doncic would be sidelined for the rest of the regular season at minimum.
Medical experts typically expect a Grade 2 hamstring injury to require approximately four weeks of recovery time. Given that only one week remains in the regular season, this timeline threatens to keep the NBA’s top scorer (averaging 33.5 points per game) and Los Angeles’ leader in both assists (8.3) and steals (1.6) off the court for potentially their entire opening playoff round.
The Lakers face additional challenges as Austin Reaves (averaging 23.3 points and 5.5 assists per game) will also miss the regular season’s conclusion due to a Grade 2 left oblique strain. Medical reports indicate Reaves faces a four to six-week recovery period.
Currently sitting at 50-28 with four games remaining, Los Angeles matches Denver’s record but maintains the advantage for the third playoff seed through tiebreakers. This positioning would likely result in a first-round matchup against Minnesota.
The Lakers risk dropping to fourth or fifth place during the final week, which would eliminate their home-court advantage in the opening round.
Playing without both Doncic and Reaves for the first time, Los Angeles suffered a defeat at Dallas on Sunday. Their remaining schedule includes hosting Oklahoma City, visiting Golden State, and concluding the regular season at home against Phoenix and Utah.
