Luka Dončić Injury Timeline: When Lakers Star Could Return for Thunder Playoff Series

Lakers star Luka Dončić remains out of the lineup due to a hamstring injury he suffered in April. Here’s when he could return for the playoff series against the Thunder. | William Liang-Imagn Images

Barring an NBA miracle, the Lakers aren’t going to beat the defending champion Thunder without star Luka Dončić. Even LeBron James suggested Dončić’s absence was a main reason for the Lakers’ offensive struggles in their Game 1 blowout loss against Oklahoma City.

Dončić was putting together an MVP-caliber campaign until he suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain on April 2 against the Thunder, averaging a league-best 33.5 points per game. In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers managed just fine without him, beating the No. 5-seeded Rockets in a six-game series, but L.A. is facing far more trouble against OKC, which arguably boasts the most complete team in the NBA.

When could Dončić return to the court to give the Lakers a fighting chance at upsetting the league’s reigning champs? Let’s take a look.

Luka Dončić makes first comments on hamstring injury during Lakers-Thunder series

After a Game 1 loss to the Thunder, Lakers star LeBron James cited Luka Dončić’s absence as a major source of the team’s offensive struggles. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

On Wednesday afternoon, Dončić made his first comments about his injury since straining his hamstring. He said he’s ramped up his activities and has started running at Lakers practices, but has yet to be cleared for full contact.

“I’m just doing everything I can,” Dončić said in his media availability. “Every day I’m doing things I’m supposed to do. ... The doctor said eight weeks at the beginning of the first MRI. So I’m just going day by day and I feel better every day.”

Given the original timeline Dončić’s doctor provided, the Lakers star still has some ways to go in his rehab. Game 2 against the Thunder is on Thursday, May 7, which would mark five weeks since his hamstring injury.

Here’s the full Lakers-Thunder series schedule, with Game 1 already in the books:

• Game 1 @ Oklahoma City: Tuesday, May 5 (Lakers lost 108–90)
• Game 2 @ Oklahoma City: Thursday, May 7
• Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Saturday, May 9
• Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Monday, May 11
• Game 5 @ Oklahoma City (if necessary): Wednesday, May 13
• Game 6 @ Los Angeles (if necessary): Saturday, May 16
• Game 7 @ Oklahoma City (if necessary): Monday, May 18

If Dončić takes the entire eight-week timeline to recover, he would return around May 28—at which point the playoff series would be long over. Alternatively, if Dončić is able to speed up his recovery time to six weeks, he could hypothetically be back for Game 5 on May 13 (assuming the Thunder don’t sweep the Lakers). Seven weeks would put his tentative return around Game 7 on May 18, though it’s admittedly hard to see the Lakers stretching the series that far without Dončić.

“It’s a tough one for me because I came back from injuries before too soon, and it wasn’t the best result,” continued Dončić. “But like I say, this is the first time I have the hamstring injury. It’s not the same like other injuries. You have to be very careful, and I’m doing everything to come back. All the recovery, the chamber, cold tub, everything I can to come back, but it’s obviously very different than other injuries I had.”

The Lakers star added in his media availability that he traveled to Spain at some point in the past month to do “PRP” (platelet-rich plasma) therapy, which is a medical treatment commonly sought out by athletes to speed up the healing time for injuries without surgery. When asked whether the doctors in Spain could potentially expedite his return, Dončić answered vaguely and didn’t give any specific details.

For now, it looks like it’s going to be the wait and pray method for the Lakers, who will just have to find a way to stay alive against the Thunder while holding out for the slim hope that Dončić will return sooner rather than later.

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