Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic will miss the final five games of the regular season and potentially more time with a left hamstring injury, ESPN reported Friday.
Doncic is out indefinitely, with his status for beyond the end of the regular season uncertain, per the ESPN report.
Doncic leads the NBA in scoring at 33.5 points per game and is also averaging 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds. But the timing of the injury leaves Doncic at 64 games played, one shy of the minimum to be eligible for postseason awards.
His agent, Bill Duffy of WME Basketball, told ESPN they intend to apply for an “Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge” to the rule.
“This season, Luka Doncic has performed at a historic level, leading the league in scoring, carrying the Lakers to third place in the Western Conference and placing himself in the middle of one of the most tightly contested MVP races in memory,” Duffy said. “To ensure that Luka’s incredible accomplishments this season are rightly honored and he can be considered for the league’s end-of-season awards, we intend to apply for an “Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge” to the 65-game rule.
“Luka missed two games this season for the birth of his second child in Slovenia. His daughter was born on Dec. 4 on another continent, and yet he was back in the United States competing with his team on Dec. 6. Luka has gone to great lengths to show up for his team and this league this season. His record-breaking season deserves to be noted in the history books, despite last night’s unfortunate injury and other extraordinary circumstances. We look forward to working with the NBAPA and the league office to ensure a fair outcome in this matter.”
Doncic was set to have an MRI exam Friday, per Los Angeles coach JJ Redick, after sustaining the injury in Thursday’s loss at the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Doncic, 27, appeared to hurt his hamstring in the first half, per an ESPN report, then tweaked it again in the third quarter. Guarded by Jalen Williams, Doncic planted his left leg before doubling over in pain and laying down on the court, covering his face with his hands.
Doncic, who scored 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field before exiting, gingerly walked to the locker room on his own with 7:39 left in the third quarter. The Lakers were losing 90-58 at the time en route to a 139-96 setback, snapping their four-game win streak.
“At this point, at this juncture of the season, it’s the last thing you want to see,” teammate LeBron James told reporters. “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.”
Doncic, who did not speak to reporters after the game, joined his teammates for their postgame flight to Dallas. Redick said Doncic’s hamstring was treated at halftime and the team’s medical staff gave the approval for him to return to the court.
“We checked him out,” Redick said. “He got work done. He was cleared. I mean, again, we’re not going to put a player at risk.”
Doncic, who missed four games with a previous left hamstring strain in February, received Western Conference Player of the Month honors for averaging 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game in March.
A six-time All-Star guard, Doncic has been selected All-NBA first team five times and was the 2018-19 NBA Rookie of the Year.
