The Los Angeles Lakers saw their red-hot form in March end with a rude awakening against the OKC Thunder in their first game in April. The Lakers fell to an uncompetitive 139-96 loss to the reigning champions last night, with things going from bad to worse when Luka Doncic picked up a hamstring injury in the third quarter, with major questions on his recovery timeline given we’re just a few weeks away from the NBA Playoffs.
Doncic is averaging 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists this season in 64 appearances. If he doesn’t play in any of the Lakers’ remaining six games this season, he’ll miss out on awards eligibility with one less game played than what the rules demand. This injury might cost Doncic personal accolades while costing the Lakers a chance at a Playoff run.
Given that Doncic was visibly getting massaged at halftime on the same left hamstring that he injured a few minutes later, many have questioned why the Lakers risked playing Luka in that state. Doncic wasn’t alone, as backcourt mate Austin Reaves picked up a back injury in the first half and played through it until the third quarter.
Two injuries to core players in a game that looked over by halftime isn’t ideal, which is why coach JJ Redick spoke to the media after the game. He addressed the circumstances around Doncic’s injury and why he even played him in the second half, given the team was trailing by 31 points already.
“We’ll do an MRI tomorrow, left hamstring, and we’ll know more.”
“We checked him out. He got work done, but he was cleared. We’re not gonna put a player at risk. Those things happen… We thought we’d give them six minutes, and if we didn’t cut into the lead, we’d pull them out.”
“He (Reaves) was in a weird position stretching for a basketball, a loose ball, and just felt something intercostal, something in his back in between the ribs. He was able to play through it and battled back. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
Doncic ended the game with 12 points (3-10 FG), four rebounds, and seven assists in 26 minutes, while Reaves had 15 points and four rebounds in 27 minutes of action.
Injuries to this backcourt might handicap the Lakers right now, as the team likely won’t be able to hold onto the No. 3 seed if both guards miss time. Even a one-week absence at this point could be devastating for the standings, as the Lakers are just one game ahead of the No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets, 2.5 games ahead of the No. 5 seed Houston Rockets, and 3.5 games ahead of the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves.
It doesn’t look like Reaves will be missing any time with his injury, considering he returned to the game and tried to play through it. Doncic, on the other hand, has no timeline right now. While some doctors have speculated a potential six-week absence for Doncic, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 27-year-old guard make a return in time for the first round of the playoffs.
Battling for seeding might be detrimental if it costs them players with no recovery time before the Playoffs. It’ll be interesting to see if Redick load manages Reaves and LeBron going forward at the same time Doncic is absent from the lineup.
