Luka Doncic out for start of second round. When will Lakers star return?
The Los Angeles Lakers will be without Luka Doncic when they tip off against the No. 1 seed Thunder in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Here's the latest update on his status.
Luka Doncic is still building towards a return, but it won't come in time for Game 1. The Los Angeles Lakers will be without Doncic for the start of their second-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported on "Inside the NBA" on Sunday. Charania reports the Lakers are evaluating Doncic on a week-to-week basis and is currently on a "slow path" in his recovery from a Grade 2 hamstring strain that has kept him sidelined for the past month.
Doncic returned to the practice floor during the Lakers' first round series, but has yet to progress to 3-on-3 or 5-on-5. "He's doing more and more on the court," Charania reported. "But right now, still not full-fledged running or full-contact workouts.
" Reporting on ABC Inside the NBA Tip-Off Show -- new updates on Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic, Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards and the Denver Nuggets' future: pic. twitter. com/MPjLnQoPUq ā Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 3, 2026 Doncic has missed 11 games since straining his left hamstring against Oklahoma City on April 2.
The Lakers have gone 7-4 in that span but ran out to a 3-0 lead in the first round of the playoffs against the Houston Rockets , winning the series in six games. The odds are stacked against LA yet again with a matchup against the defending NBA champion Thunder, who won a league-best 64 games in the regular season. The absence of Jalen Williams makes things slightly less lopsided, especially if the Lakers keep producing total team efforts with contributions from Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura.