{"id":185834,"date":"2026-04-03T09:00:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T13:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=185834"},"modified":"2026-04-03T19:14:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T23:14:55","slug":"luka-doncic-lakers-dealt-brutal-blow-after-magnificent-march","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/04\/03\/luka-doncic-lakers-dealt-brutal-blow-after-magnificent-march\/","title":{"rendered":"Luka Doncic, Lakers Dealt Brutal Blow After Magnificent March"},"content":{"rendered":"

The other shoe was bound to drop at some point.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the Los Angeles Lakers brought the madness to March\u2014going 15-2 with a nine-game winning streak and otherworldly scoring from <\/span>Luka Doncic<\/span><\/a>\u2014the team fell back to earth in blowout fashion Thursday. They lost to the OKC Thunder, 139\u201396. Even more concerning, however, was Doncic\u2019s hamstring injury in the second half\u2014making matters worse for him and the team as the regular season winds down.<\/span><\/p>\n

Luka Doncic, Lakers Dealt Brutal Blow After Magnificent March<\/h2>\n

Doncic <\/span>hurt his left hamstring while driving to the rim<\/span><\/a> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doncic had an MRI Friday to determine the extent of the injury. It revealed a <\/span>Grade 2 hamstring strain<\/span><\/a>, carrying a recovery timeline of 3-6 weeks and bringing his season to an end.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his postgame press conference, head coach JJ Redick said although <\/span>Doncic grabbed his hamstring<\/span><\/a> in the first half, coaches evaluated him and cleared him for the second.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe checked him out, he got work done, he was cleared,\u201d Redick <\/span>told reporters<\/span><\/a>. \u201cAgain, we\u2019re not going to put a player at risk. Those things happen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Luka Doncic seems to pull up because of his left hamstring <\/p>\n

This is the SAME hamstring he hurt prior in the season. If it\u2019s a strain timeline is dependent on severity <\/p>\n

Grade I: 1-2 weeks
Grade II: 3-6 weeks pic.twitter.com\/VdFWqz2snl<\/a><\/p>\n

— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) April 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n