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The Los Angeles Lakers ruled Luka Dončić out on Monday, a day before they play the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.
Dončić remains sidelined with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. He missed the final six games of the regular season with the injury and the entirety of the Lakers’ first-round playoff win over Houston Rockets.
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His availability moving forward against the Thunder remains unclear beyond Game 1. But being ruled out a day ahead of time is generally not a good sign of a quick return.
The Lakers won in Round 1 despite Dončić’s absence and Austin Reaves missing the first three games of the series. The Rockets were also playing shorthanded with Kevin Durant sidelined for five of the series’ six games.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Sunday that Dončić remains on “a slow path” to recovery and hasn’t returned to full-contact workouts. He’s still considered week-to-week, per the report.
When asked on Sunday about Dončić’s availability for Game 1, Lakers coach JJ Redick said this: I don’t have any updates on Luka.”
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For Game 1 and perhaps beyond, the Lakers will play without their All-NBA guard who led the league in scoring with 33.5 points per game alongside averages of 8.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals.
With Dončić sidelined against the Rockets, Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart started all six games vs. Houston. LeBron James carried the offensive load against the Rockets and continued to lead the Lakers in scoring even upon Reaves’ return.
Against a reigning champion Thunder team that led the league in defensive rating for a second straight season, playing without Dončić will put the Lakers at a heightened disadvantage.
This story will be updated.
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/breaking-news/article/luka-doncic-ruled-out-a-day-of-ahead-of-lakers-thunder-game-1-223124419.html
Author : Jason Owens
Publish date : 2026-05-04 22:31:00
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