Doncic set to return from Spain on Friday; availability remains uncertain
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic may not be available on the court for the beginning of the NBA playoffs this weekend, but he will be present with his team.
Doncic is set to return to Los Angeles on Friday after spending the past week in Spain, where he underwent several injections for his Grade 2 left hamstring strain, sources informed ESPN’s Shams Charania on Monday.
The No. 4-seeded Lakers will face the No. 5-seeded Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
The Lakers have not disclosed a timeline for Doncic’s return to the team, other than confirming that he will not participate for the remainder of the regular season following his injury on April 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. A Grade 2 hamstring strain generally requires about a month for recovery.
L.A. concluded the season with a 3-2 record without Doncic and Austin Reaves, who is also sidelined indefinitely due to a Grade 2 left oblique strain sustained during the Thunder game.
LeBron James was recognized as the Western Conference player of the week for the final week of the season, averaging 24.0 points, 9.7 assists, and 6.0 rebounds while leading the Lakers to a winning record in the absence of their other two stars.
Doncic wrapped up the season with an impressive average of 33.5 points, along with 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game. He participated in 64 games, falling short of the 65-game requirement to qualify for regular season awards. His agent, Bill Duffy of WME, has requested that the NBA grant his client a “special circumstances” exception due to Doncic missing two games in December to travel to Slovenia for the birth of his daughter.
