The Los Angeles Lakers announced Friday that their star player Luka Doncic will be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season after suffering a Grade 2 left hamstring strain.
The league’s current scoring champion sustained the injury during Thursday night’s decisive defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Medical imaging confirmed the extent of the hamstring damage.
Doncic has been instrumental in propelling the Lakers to third place in the Western Conference standings this season. With a 50-27 record, Los Angeles has only five remaining games before playoff action begins, with their next matchup scheduled for Sunday against Dallas.
Recovery time for Grade 2 hamstring strains typically spans several weeks, though Doncic has dealt with similar hamstring problems before. Earlier this season, he sat out four games just prior to the All-Star break due to another left hamstring injury, but successfully returned to action following the mid-season break.
The Slovenian basketball star is enjoying an outstanding debut full season with Los Angeles after being traded from the Dallas Mavericks last year. His current averages include 33.5 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.7 rebounds per contest. March proved particularly impressive for Doncic, earning him Western Conference Player of the Month honors after delivering 13 straight games with at least 30 points, including seven contests where he scored 40 or more.
Head coach JJ Redick explained that Doncic initially suffered the injury during the first half against Oklahoma City but received medical clearance to continue playing. However, the superstar managed only approximately four minutes of additional game time before a spinning motion caused him to collapse in pain, forcing his exit from the contest.
