Luka Dončić appeared to tweak his left hamstring late in the first half of Thursday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Lakers coach JJ Redick said the team’s medical staff treated Dončić at halftime, and he was cleared to return. But then the hamstring gave out entirely in the third quarter.
As the Lakers fan base awaits MRI results that could determine their playoff fate, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith came forward with a provocative take on Friday’s “First Take.”
Stephen A. Smith Questions Timing of Luka Dončić’s Injury
Smith didn’t hold back in connecting the blowout loss to the injury itself, questioning if Dončić was faking his first-half hamstring issue.
“It was almost so that it’s a good thing that Luka actually got hurt and had to get taken out in the third quarter,” Smith said, “because when we saw him holding his hamstring in the first half, a lot of us was like, wait a minute now that wasn’t happening when you were dropping 30 plus the last 12, 13, 15 games.”
He continued: “But suddenly now your damn hamstring is hurt. We were lookin’ at it with a raised eyebrow.”
“We were lookin’ at it [the result] with a raised eyebrow.”
—@stephenasmith on the Lakers vs. Thunder result 😬 pic.twitter.com/mRRTqFaXk9
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 3, 2026
Smith framed the Thunder’s dominance as a message to the entire conference. Oklahoma City led 44-21 after one quarter and 82-51 at halftime. By the time Dončić exited, the Lakers trailed by 32.
It was 7:39 remaining in the third quarter when Dončić planted his left leg while dribbling against Jalen Williams and immediately doubled over in pain. He lay on the baseline with his hands covering his face before walking gingerly to the locker room and didn’t return.
What Smith didn’t address is that this is the same left hamstring that sidelined Dončić for four games in February. Recurring hamstring injuries are difficult to predict and often worsen with each recurrence.
Dr. Evan Jeffries, a physical therapist and NBA injury insider, posted on X that the timeline depends entirely on severity: a Grade I strain means one to two weeks, while a Grade II could sideline him for three to six weeks.
That distinction matters enormously. The Lakers have five regular-season games remaining before the playoffs begin on April 18. A Grade II strain would push Dončić’s return into the postseason, assuming he returns at all.
The consequence is cruel: Thursday was his 64th game. Players need 65 to qualify for end-of-season awards. If he can’t suit up for at least one more contest, his historic March performance means nothing for MVP voting.
Dončić averaged 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in March while leading the Lakers to a 15-2 record. He became just the 10th player in league history to record 600 points in a calendar month.
The Lakers are 50-27 and hold the third seed in the Western Conference, one game ahead of Denver. They’ve clinched a playoff berth, which guarantees a week of rest before the postseason. Whether that’s enough time for Dončić to recover remains unclear.
LeBron James spoke for the organization after the loss. “When you have an MVP candidate on your team, the last thing you want to see is somebody go down with a hamstring injury. So, pray for the best, for sure, and a speedy recovery.”
