DALLAS — Luka Doncic Out for Remainder of Regular Season

Lakers superstar Luka Doncic will not return for the rest of the regular season due to a Grade 2 left hamstring injury that he suffered during a game against the Thunder on Thursday, as confirmed by the team after an MRI on Friday.

During the third quarter of the Lakers’ heavy defeat to the Thunder, Doncic went down after attempting to drive against Oklahoma City’s Jaylen Williams.

He seemed to struggle while trying to avoid further injury, ultimately lying down near the basket, prompting Lakers coach JJ Redick to call a timeout and subsequently eject Doncic from the game.

LeBron James shared his thoughts post-game, saying, “At this point in the season, this is the last thing you want to see. It could be anyone on the team, but when you have an MVP candidate, seeing him go down with a hamstring issue is never good.”

Before this latest injury, Doncic had already been dealing with soreness in the same hamstring prior to a home win against the Nets on March 27, though he played through it, scoring 41 points in 39 minutes to help secure that victory.

Following his 16th point of the season against the Nets, he was sidelined for a game due to a technical foul and missed Monday’s triumph over the Wizards but bounced back with 42 points in the next game against the Cavaliers.

Interestingly, Doncic had already missed the last four games after the All-Star break because of issues with his left hamstring. He appeared to be dealing with discomfort during the first half of the game but managed to continue playing, even seen clutching his hamstring after some plays.

“We looked him up,” Redick noted. “He finished the job. He was cleared. So, again, we’re not going to put our players at risk. Things like that happen.”

Doncic exited the court on his own steam but then made his way back to the locker room.

Teammate Austin Reeves expressed optimism, saying, “You hope for the best. We definitely don’t want anyone injured, but we believe there will be good news. I’ve gotten to know him over the last year and a half. He’s a fighter, so I trust he’ll do everything he can to come back.”