Luka Doncic Injury Update And Return Timeline For The Los Angeles Lakers In Round 2 Of The NBA Playoffs

After jumping out to a 3-0 lead over the Houston Rockets, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers managed to vanquish the Houston Rockets in six games, despite being without Austin Reaves for most of the series and Luka Doncic for the entirety of the series. While Reaves has returned from his oblique injury, Doncic is still sidelined due to a Grade 2 hamstring strain.

With the Lakers tipping off against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, Doncic is not expected to be ready for Game 1, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

“I’m told right now, Luka Doncic will be out to start this 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

This, of course, begs the question of when Doncic will be ready to return if not for Game 1? Based on the fact that the team is evaluating him week-to-week and he still isn't able to run at full speed, it would be a surprise if he is able to play at any point this week.

There is an outside shot that he could be ready to go for Game 3 on Saturday, but Game 4 on Monday seems like a more realistic target date, but it is also far from a lock. Depending on how this series goes, there is a chance that we don't even see Doncic in action again this season. This is a situation we will all have to monitor closely and play by ear.

Fantasy Impact

F LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

The 41-year-old James will have to continue to be the catalyst and best player for the Lakers for at least a portion of this series with Doncic sidelined. We have seen him do it all for so long, and we don't expect him to stop now when they need him most.

G Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers

Reaves is going to have to step up in a major way in Doncic's absence if the Lakers are going to have any chance against the top-seeded Thunder. We saw this situation play out multiple times this season, and Reaves has posted some monster games when given the opportunity to step up.

F Rui Hachimura, Los Angeles Lakers

Hachimura was incredible in the close out game against the Rockets and he will have to serve as the third option in this next series for as long as Doncic is out. He should see a lot more usage again in this series until Doncic returns.

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