The Los Angeles Lakers will be without Luka Dončić on the stretch run en route to the 2026 NBA Playoffs thanks to a hamstring injury.
California Dreamin’ has become a nightmare for the Los Angeles Lakers.
(Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
Per Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Luka Dončić will miss at least the final five games of the regular season, with his status beyond that to be determined. Their report indicated that Dončić endured a Grade 2 hamstring strain during Thursday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic is out indefinitely due to a left hamstring injury, sources tell me and @mcten. He will miss the remainder of the regular season and his status is uncertain beyond that. pic.twitter.com/qQTVAfPpWB
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 3, 2026
“At this point, at this juncture of the season, it’s the last thing you want to see,” LeBron James said of the unfortunate occurrence, per Dan Woike of The Athletic. “Especially anybody on our team, but when you have an MVP candidate on your team, the last thing you want to see is somebody go down with a hamstring injury.”
Thus ends Dončić’s first full season in a Laker uniform after the shocking 2025 trade that sent him away from the Dallas Mavericks, his original NBA employers.
Dončić appeared on many MVP shortlists after averaging a league-best 33.5 points per game in 64 appearances, but the injury will tackle him short of the 65-game minimum required for individual awards. A report from McMenamin states that Dončić ‘s agent, Bill Duffy, will file for an “Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge” to keep his client in the running.
Where the Lakers Stand
The Lakers (50-27) have clinched their spot on the Western Conference bracket and can finish no worse than fifth. Thursday’s 139-96 loss to Oklahoma City ended a four-game winning streak, though they have won all but two of their last 15 games.
Dončić’s injury will, of course, turn the spotlight back over to James, the 41-year-old hardwood icon set to embark on one of his final championship runs. More immediately, however, the Lakers could turn to either Rui Hachimura or Luke Kennard in the starting lineup, while Jaxson Hayes is another option if they seek to engage in a larger lineup.
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic is out indefinitely due to a left hamstring injury, sources tell me and @mcten. He will miss the remainder of the regular season and his status is uncertain beyond that. pic.twitter.com/qQTVAfPpWB
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 3, 2026
But there’s no denying that Dončić truly put the “V” in MVP on the Lakers’ road to date, for better and worse: Los Angeles is 43-21 when Dončić dresses and only 7-6 otherwise.
“Nothing has changed. We still will be (together),” James said in Woike’s report. “Obviously, we’ll be tested. We’ll make no conclusions, but we’ll see what happens with him, and then we’ll go from there. But nothing is rattled. It’s one game, it’s part of the NBA season, it’s the defending champions. We get it. We understand.”
The Lakers begin life after Dončić on Sunday night, as they’ll engage in an Easter holiday haunt against the Dallas Mavericks (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC). A rematch against Oklahoma City awaits on Tuesday before the regular season wraps up against Golden State, Phoenix, and Utah, all of whom sit outside the West’s top six. The 2026 NBA Playoffs are set to tip off on April 18.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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