Heading into the last week of the 2025-26 NBA regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers have won 16 of 19 games to vault into the third seed in the Western Conference. Previously, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Lakers listed at 30-1 odds to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy, the eighth-best odds of any team.
The play of Luka Doncic was a main reason why as the star averaged 35.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 2.2 steals, 0.7 blocks and 4.7 treys in 36.2 minutes per contest. In terms of efficiency, he did so while shooting 48% from the field, 38% from downtown and 80% from the line.
Then, this happened during Thursday night’s game:
On Friday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Doncic will be sidelined indefinitely due to a Grade 2 left hamstring strain.
The odds for the Lakers to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy for the ninth time plummeted down to 100/1, the 11th-lowest odds. And for good reason, because Doncic is the alpha of the Lakers’ offense, garnering a usage rate of 38.2% on the season and making miracle shot after miracle shot.
Sure, the Lakers still have LeBron James and Austin Reaves, but James is 41 years old and Reaves is dealing with a back issue. Doncic is a once-in-a-generation player whose absence causes a massive offensive vacuum.
The Lakers were 7-6 without Doncic this season, but 4-2 when both James and Reaves played, so Los Angeles can still win some games. But to imagine this group advancing past Oklahoma City, Denver and/or San Antonio in the Western Conference without Doncic making a return is a hazy oasis on a blistering hot day.
