Lakers Star Luka Doncic Suffers Concerning Injury During Thunder Game

The Los Angeles Lakers headed into Thursday's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the hottest teams in the league, with all eyes on the head-to-head matchup between NBA MVP candidates Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, things didn't go as planned for the storied franchise against the defending NBA champions, with Gilgeous-Alexander crushing JJ Redick's squad in convincing fashion.

Luka Doncic Suffers Hamstring Injury in Loss to Thunder

Along with being dominated by arguably the best all-around team in the NBA, Doncic went down with an injury that resulted in him being ruled out for the game in the third quarter.

Luka Dončić (left hamstring) will not return to tonight’s game.
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) April 3, 2026

Doncic's face told the whole story after he went down with the injury, as he clearly knew he had suffered a hamstring injury that he wouldn't be able to play on for the rest of the game and that could potentially force him to miss some time in the final stretch of the regular season.

You can see Luka Doncic grabbing at his left hamstring during this play near the end of the first half: https://t.co/0HV9awG3ON pic.twitter.com/QmtdiXyiUy
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) April 3, 2026

Before the game mercifully came to an end on Thursday night, ESPN's Dave McMenamin provided an update on Doncic's status moving forward, as the superstar guard will undergo an MRI on his left hamstring on Friday.

Luka Doncic will undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the extent of his left hamstring injury, a source familiar with Doncic's situation told ESPN
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 3, 2026

Obviously, the Lakers' season hangs in the balance of the results of this MRI, as Doncic has been the heart and soul of this team during the 2025-26 campaign. It will be incredibly difficult for Los Angeles to compete with the best of the best in the Western Conference during the NBA playoffs without their best player being as close to 100 percent as possible.

Luka Doncic Could Miss Considerable Time With Hamstring Injury

Los Angeles Lakers Luka Doncic — Apr 2, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) hops to the side of the court during a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

After Thursday's game against the Thunder, the Lakers have only five games left on their regular-season schedule, which is concerning, to say the least, as the Denver Nuggets are now only a half-game back in the West standings.

According to Dr. Evan Jeffries of The Hoops Rehab Show, Doncic could miss as many as six weeks if the injury is determined to be a Grade 2 hamstring strain.

However, if it turns out to be a Grade 1 hamstring strain, Doncic could miss as little as one week, which may potentially be the best-case scenario.

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

Unfortunately, it'll be a tough stretch to finish the regular season for the Lakers, as Los Angeles tries to secure a high seed in the West before the NBA playoffs get underway on April 18.

Redick will likely have to lean heavily on Luke Kennard and Bronny James in the backcourt with Doncic and veteran guard Marcus Smart on the mend, which will definitely test the depth of this team moving forward.

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