Lakers Reveal Unfortunate Injury Update on Luka Doncic

The Lakers provided a concerning update on Luka Dončić, casting uncertainty over his availability moving forward.

Apr 2, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) walks across the court after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers were blown out by the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night at the Paycom Center, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander getting the best of the storied franchise with relative ease.

Along with the Lakers suffering a devastating loss to arguably the best team in the NBA, Los Angeles also saw superstar guard Luka Doncic go down with a hamstring injury in the third quarter. He didn't return to the game and his status was put in doubt moving forward.

Luka Doncic Ruled Out for the Rest of the NBA Regular Season

Unfortunately, the Lakers didn't get good news after Doncic underwent an MRI on Friday, as he will now miss the remainder of the regular season with a Grade 2 left hamstring, resulting in him being sidelined for the final five games before the NBA playoffs get underway on April 18.

Per Lakers: Luka Dončić has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will be out for the remainder of the regular season.

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) April 3, 2026

This is a costly loss for the Lakers, to say the least, which could result in a drastically different outcome for the season, especially considering Doncic was playing the best basketball of his NBA career.

Along with being in the NBA MVP conversation and coming off his second Western Conference Player of the Month nod, Doncic seemed virtually unstoppable on the floor for head coach JJ Redick. Milestones being being set with every passing game, while the Lakers began to make some noise in the title-contending conversation in the Western Conference.

That has all seemed to have changed on Friday, with Doncic set to miss the last five games of the regular season with an linger that will likely linger into the playoffs, which obviously is the worst news possible for the Lakers' chances of competing in the West with heavyweights like the Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets.

According to Dr. Evan Jeffries of The Hoops Rehab Show, a Grade 2 hamstring strain could keep Doncic sidelined for as much as six weeks.

Luka Doncic seems to pull up because of his left hamstring

This is the SAME hamstring he hurt prior in the season. If it’s a strain timeline is dependent on severity

Grade I: 1-2 weeks
Grade II: 3-6 weeks pic.twitter.com/VdFWqz2snl

— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) April 3, 2026

If the worst-case scenario comes to fruition, Doncic's season is likely over unless the Lakers can find a way to win without him during the playoffs.

At this point in time, the Lakers' brass should seriously consider shutting down their new face of the franchise for the rest of the 2025-26 campaign, as hamstring injuries can be difficult to bounce back and can easily be reaggravated.

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