Insider Shares New Luka Doncic Injury Update Ahead of Lakers vs Thunder

The Los Angeles Lakers just beat the Houston Rockets in six games and are headed to the second round against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It should be a moment to celebrate, but the cloud over this team right now has a name: Luka Doncic.

Reporting on the ABC Inside the NBA Tip-Off Show, Shams Charania gave the latest on Doncic's status. He confirmed that Doncic will not be available to start the series against the Thunder and that his recovery is still on a slow path.

"Ernie, I'm told right now Luka Doncic will be out to start the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder," Charania said. "The Lakers are evaluating Doncic on a week-to-week basis with that Grade 2 hamstring strain. So he's missed about a month right now. One source told me in the last few days it's still a slow path on Doncic's recovery. He's doing more and more on the court, but right now still not full-fledged running or full-contact workouts."

Reporting on ABC Inside the NBA Tip-Off Show -- new updates on Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic, Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards and the Denver Nuggets' future: pic.twitter.com/MPjLnQoPUq
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 3, 2026

That lines up with what ESPN's Brian Windhorst said earlier, though Windhorst was noticeably harsher. He said Doncic was not close at all and would likely miss at least the first week to ten days of the series at minimum, adding he would be surprised if Luka suited up at any point in round two. Charania stops short of that, leaving the door open for a return later in the series.

Luka Doncic Grade 2 Hamstring Strain Recovery Timeline for Lakers

This is the same hamstring injury Doncic picked up on April 2 against the Thunder, of all teams. He has not played a single minute since, sitting out the final stretch of the regular season and all six games against Houston.

He even flew to Europe in April to get specialized treatment, including injection treatments aimed at speeding up the recovery. A month later, he still is not where he needs to be to play.

Before Doncic can return, he still needs to go through a full ramp-up process, including 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 scrimmages, none of which he has started yet. That is a significant hurdle given how quickly this series is moving forward.

The silver lining is that there is still some hope he returns at some point during the series. Austin Reaves is also back after his own Grade 2 oblique strain, which gives the Lakers at least one key piece back.

The Lakers have shown they can compete without Doncic, but OKC is a completely different test. Until Doncic is back on the floor, this series is going to ask a lot of everyone in that locker room.

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