Luka Doncic won’t be available for Lakers in second round

Luka Doncic (YouTube)

According to Stan Van Gundy of Prime Video on Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers will be without Luka Doncic for the remainder of their second round series in the 2026 National Basketball Association postseason against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of a hamstring injury. Doncic has not played for the Lakers since April 2.

Ironically, it was against the Thunder where Doncic suffered the injury. He had a grade two hamstring ailment in a 139-96 blowout loss. This was the biggest Lakers loss of the season. Originally, it was believed that Doncic would miss three to four weeks. Now it seems he will be out much longer.

The loss of Doncic cannot be underestimated. He is simply an elite player. In the 2025-26 NBA regular season, Doncic led the league in points per game (33.5), field goals made per game (10.8), and three point shots made per game (four). He also averaged 8.3 assists per game, 7.7 rebounds per game, and 1.6 steals per game. Doncic had a field goal percentage of .476, three point percentage of .366, and free throw percentage of .780.

Without the big Slovenian at the focal point in the Lakers lineup, the Thunder have had their way in the series. In game one, the Thunder beat the Lakers 108-90, and in game two, the Thunder won 125-107. Both Thunder victories came bay 18 points.

What we saw on Thursday was excellence from the Thunder big man in All-Star power forward Chat Holmgren of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He had an impressive double-double as he had 24 points and 12 rebounds. This Western Conference semifinal series now shifts to Los Angeles for Saturday night.