Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers entered Thursday’s primetime road clash against the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder riding high with the playoffs approaching.
However, LA was thoroughly dismantled 139-96, with Dončić suffering a left hamstring injury while the contest was well out of reach. The troubling setback, with just five games remaining, cast doubt on the Lakers’ outlook, with prayers flooding in online.
Luka Dončić’s Hamstring Injury Raises Major Concern for Lakers
Dončić and Co. entered Thursday as winners of 16 of their last 18 outings, with the superstar guard coming off a historic March in which he amassed 600 points en route to Western Conference Player of the Month honors.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, their success didn’t carry over to OKC, as they were outmatched from the jump, falling behind 44-21 after the first quarter. They trailed wire-to-wire, with their deficit ballooning to 46 points late.
Still, JJ Redick kept his top player in the game with LA down 90-58 early in the third quarter. While trying to initiate offense, Dončić tweaked his hamstring and came up hobbling.
The six-time All-Star, who has dealt with hamstring issues in the past, appeared visibly devastated as he exited the game, and was later ruled out for the remainder of the night.
Dončić finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 6 turnovers, shooting 3-for-10 (30%) across 26 minutes, garnering widespread support on X.
Luka appears to be in pain on this play —
Hopefully he is OK. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/guR18mlQ4m
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 3, 2026
“Luka appears to be in pain on this play — Hopefully he is OK. 🙏,” Hoop Central reacted.
“PRAYERS UP FOR LUKA 🙏🏽 THIS CAN’T BE HOW THE LAKERS SEASON ENDS 😭😭😭,” LA fan page LakeShowYo wrote.
“Gotta just pray for Luka Dončić…. The Lakers seriously can’t afford any type of injury from their star,” Sleeper Hoops responded.
“Hate to see Dončić go down with a hamstring pull any time — but especially when the score is 90-58 at the time,” Dallas Morning News’ Brad Townsend remarked.
On top of his status for the rest of the regular season and awards eligibility potentially being in jeopardy, worries mounted over the 27-year-old’s playoff availability.
“Luka’s health is by far the most important thing for the Lakers heading into the playoffs, so they should and surely will be cautious. Worth pointing out, though, that if we don’t see him again this regular season, he will finish at 64 games,” Lakers Nation’s Daniel Starkand pointed out.
“It obviously is of far lesser concern than his playoff availability, but if Luka Dončić is out for the final 10 days of the regular season, he won’t be eligible for end-of-season awards, after Anthony Edwards was eliminated from eligibility by missing Minnesota’s game tonight,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps chimed in.
Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Dončić “will undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the extent of his left hamstring injury,” with the third-seeded Lakers’ (50-27) playoff fate hanging in the balance.
