Luka Dončić exits Lakers game vs Thunder with hamstring injury, MRI scheduled to assess severity and recovery timeline moving forward
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic injured his left hamstring on Thursday night during a 139-97 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Coach JJ Redick stated that Doncic will have an MRI on Friday to assess the injury. Doncic experienced an issue with the hamstring in the first half and was tended to at halftime, after which he was cleared to return to play. He re-entered the game briefly but left for good with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter after experiencing pain on his final play. Lakers forward Jake LaRavia expressed that it is difficult to see a teammate go down, especially in a game that was already tough. Lakers guard Austin Reaves also sustained a back injury during the game but continued to play, sitting out the fourth quarter with the game decided. Redick described Reaves' injury as intercostal, somewhere in his back, between the ribs, and that he was able to play through it.
Doncic had an issue with his left hamstring in the first half of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was checked out and received treatment at halftime. Redick confirmed that Doncic was cleared to return to action after the initial assessment.
Doncic returned to the game for a short period. On his last play, he spun before attempting to go up for a shot against Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder. There was no contact with Williams before Doncic stopped and then lay down on the floor in pain. He exited the game permanently with 7:39 left in the third quarter.
“Those things happen,” Redick said.
Jalen Williams, who is an All-Star in 2025, has missed 27 games this season due to a right hamstring strain. He expressed sympathy for Doncic's situation.
“It’s very, like, spooky in a way to see it happen to him, and I’m the one guarding him,” Williams said.
Williams had an opportunity to steal the ball after Doncic released it. However, he chose not to capitalize on the situation.
“I tried to let it go out of bounds and give them time to figure it out,” Williams said. “That injury sucks. So I wish him a speedy recovery. Hope it’s not anything serious.”
Prior to this game, Doncic had been on a scoring streak, recording at least 40 points in five of his previous seven games. Against the Thunder's defense, he was limited to 12 points on 3-for-10 shooting. The Lakers were trailing 90-58 when Doncic sustained his injury, compounding the difficulties of the game.
“I mean, it’s something you never want to see as a teammate,” Lakers forward Jake LaRavia said. “So especially in a game like this, it was tough to see him go down. All the prayers for him ... but yeah, you never want to see that.”
Austin Reaves, a guard for the Lakers, experienced a back injury during the game. Despite the injury, he continued to play. He was held out of the fourth quarter as the game's outcome was no longer in doubt.
Redick explained the circumstances of Reaves' injury.
“He was in a weird position, stretching for a basketball, loose ball,” Redick said. “And he just felt something intercostal, somewhere in his back, in between the ribs. He was able to play through it ... we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
The Lakers are scheduled to host the Oklahoma City Thunder again on April 7 for a rematch.