Lakers Need Other Players to Step Up With Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves Out
In just one game against the reigning NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers’ odds of making a deep run through the playoffs have plummeted. The Lakers ruled superstars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out for the remainder of the regular season after the pair sustained injuries in the Lakers’ 96-139 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. Doncic and Reaves are also at risk of missing the NBA playoffs.
Doncic, who was making a strong case for himself to win his first NBA Most Valuable Player Award, suffered a left hamstring injury during the game. Meanwhile, Reaves sustained a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury. Doncic and Reaves are the Lakers’ leading scorers this season.
Mar 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and guard Austin Reaves (15) react during the second half at Crypto. com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A.
Vasquez-Imagn Images LeBron James Says the Rest of the Lakers Need to Step Up Now that Doncic and Reaves are out indefinitely, four-time NBA champion LeBron James says the rest of the team needs to work together to make up for those absences. “I mean, it’s a challenge for us,” James said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin . “It’s always got to be a next-man-up [mentality].
But there’s no way you can replace that type of impact. So it’s going to be a collective group. We all have to figure out a way to do a little bit more.