The vibes have been high for the Los Angeles Lakers as one of the NBA’s hottest teams since spring began, but they suffered a tough blow when superstar Luka Doncic left Thursday night’s game due to injury. Now, the situation has taken a nosedive at the worst possible time.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Doncic suffered a left hamstring injury and will be sidelined indefinitely. Details on the ailment are rather scarce, but he will miss at least the remainder of the regular season, if not more time beyond into the postseason.
The situation couldn’t get much worse for the Lakers, who had finally found their stride in recent weeks. After surging to third in the Western Conference with a 50-27 record thanks to a 15-3 mark since March 1, this roster seemed to have gelled nicely to play its best basketball. Now, they’ll be without the crux of the entire attack for the foreseeable future as they head into the most critical part of the calendar.
Doncic, 27 years old, averages an NBA-best 33.5 points per game this season. The Slovenian star also pitches in 7.7 rebounds with a team-high 8.3 assists, making magic happen seemingly every time he steps on the floor. Over Los Angeles’ recent run since the start of March, his scoring has taken another uptick to 36.0 PPG, including seven 40-point games over that 18-outing sample.
Beyond the impact of Doncic’s injury on his team’s postseason outlook, there’s another aspect to this unfortunate news that will surely frustrate the star. He’ll end the 2025-26 regular season with 64 games under his belt, just one shy of the 65 required to earn eligibility for awards like MVP or an All-NBA selection. Despite his stellar production, Doncic will not be eligible for any such honors.
Following Friday’s news of Doncic’s injury, the Lakers have dropped to +10000 odds to win the NBA Finals and +6000 odds to win the Western Conference on DraftKings Sportsbook.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
