The other shoe was bound to drop at some point.
After the Los Angeles Lakers brought the madness to March—going 15-2 with a nine-game winning streak and otherworldly scoring from Luka Doncic—the team fell back to earth in blowout fashion Thursday. They lost to the OKC Thunder, 139–96. Even more concerning, however, was Doncic’s hamstring injury in the second half—making matters worse for him and the team as the regular season winds down.
Luka Doncic, Lakers Dealt Brutal Blow After Magnificent March
Doncic hurt his left hamstring while driving to the rim with 7:40 left in the third quarter. After writhing in pain on the baseline, he walked back to the locker room under his own power and was ruled out for the rest of the game. He ended the night with 12 points (3-10 FG, 1-7 3PT), four rebounds and seven assists in 26 minutes.
Doncic had an MRI Friday to determine the extent of the injury. It revealed a Grade 2 hamstring strain, carrying a recovery timeline of 3-6 weeks and bringing his season to an end.
In his postgame press conference, head coach JJ Redick said although Doncic grabbed his hamstring in the first half, coaches evaluated him and cleared him for the second.
“We checked him out, he got work done, he was cleared,” Redick told reporters. “Again, we’re not going to put a player at risk. Those things happen.”
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
LeBron James on if tonight will test LAL’s camaraderie: “No, nothing has changed. We still will be [together]. Obviously we’ll be tested with the head of the snake [missing] … But nothing is rattled. It's one game, it's part of the NBA season, it's the defending champions.”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 3, 2026
Impact on Doncic’s Awards Case, Rest of Lakers’ Season
After an astounding second half of the season for Doncic, who mounted an MVP case in recent weeks, this injury couldn’t have come at a more ironic moment: his 64th game of the season, one shy of becoming eligible for league awards and honors. It not only put his candidacy in jeopardy, but also hindered the Lakers’ momentum with the playoffs around the corner.
LA is 7-6 without Doncic this season and will look to stay afloat going forward. Though LeBron James and Austin Reaves are more than capable of carrying the load, the team’s role players—Luke Kennard, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura, among others—will be asked to step up as well. Their contributions may be just as pivotal if Doncic misses the start of the postseason. The roster already carries varying levels of playoff experience. But losing a superstar who’s willing to do “whatever it takes” for a title hurts in more ways than one.
The Lakers face the Dallas Mavericks Sunday at 4:30 p.m. PT. They’ll then meet the Thunder to wrap up the season series on Wednesday at 7:30.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
