The Los Angeles Lakers were soaring. A 15-2 March had pushed them to third in the Western Conference, Luka Dončić was making a legitimate case for the NBA MVP award, and for the first time in years, Los Angeles looked like a genuine postseason threat.
Then came Thursday night in Oklahoma City, where a blowout loss was the least of the Lakers’ worries. Within 72 hours, they lost both Dončić and Austin Reaves to significant injuries, and their entire season turned upside down.
Latest on Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves’ Injuries and What’s Next for the Lakers
Dončić first appeared to tweak his left hamstring late in the first half against the Thunder. The Lakers’ medical staff evaluated him at halftime and cleared him to return. That decision proved costly.
On his final play of the game, Dončić spun before trying to go up for a shot against Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams. There was no contact before he stopped and laid down on the floor while wincing in pain.
He left the court with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter and didn’t return, limping to the locker room with his hands covering his face. An MRI the following day confirmed the worst: Dončić suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. The Lakers ruled him out indefinitely with no firm return date, though injury analyst Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes noted the average recovery time for this injury is approximately 35 days.
Sports medicine physician Dr. Jesse Morse painted a bleaker picture, describing the injury as a partial tear and warning that even with round-the-clock treatment, Dončić would face a high risk of reinjury because of scar tissue from previous hamstring issues. Morse projected a realistic return window of four to six weeks, meaning Dončić would likely miss the entire first round of the playoffs.
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The hits kept coming for the Lakers. Reaves also tweaked something on his left side during Thursday’s first half while stretching for a loose ball. He described the play afterward: “I went back to get a rebound, overextended a little bit, and I felt something.”
An MRI on Saturday in Dallas confirmed a Grade 2 left oblique injury. Reaves is expected to miss four to six weeks, sidelining him through the remainder of the regular season and likely the entire first round.
Can LeBron James Keep the Lakers’ Playoff Hopes Alive?
Now the Lakers enter the playoffs without their two leading scorers and primary playmakers, the first team in NBA history to start the postseason with two 21-PPG scorers sidelined. LeBron James, who had settled into a third-option role during the team’s hot streak, must carry the offensive load at 41 years old.
In his last seven games, James averaged just 15.6 points while attempting only 11.7 field goals per contest, well below his career norms. The Lakers’ title odds cratered after the setbacks for obvious reasons.
Lakers coach JJ Redick acknowledged the team will need to change its approach, mentioning that James, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton, and Luke Kennard will all see expanded offensive roles.
The Lakers still hold the third seed with five games remaining, but the margin for error has evaporated. They’re now banking on James channeling something close to his 2018 playoff carry job just to survive the opening round.
