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Thunder emerging as stronger favorites against Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Thunder emerging as stronger favorites against Lakers, as Luka Doncic's status remains uncertain

By Clark Dalton  |  Last updated May 6, 2026 3:49 PM ET
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic says he's doing whatever he can to return for a second-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but will he be ready in time?

Doncic hasn't played since April 2 because of a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. Shortly after suffering the injury, he reportedly spent time in Spain receiving treatment.

The timetable for Doncic has remained unclear since suffering the injury. He provided more details about his recovery timeline during Wednesday's practice. 

Luka Doncic discusses injury recovery timeline

Doncic said doctors initially gave him eight weeks to recover from the injury, and he's now in Week No. 5. The guard said he has begun running again but hasn't been cleared for contact, which is preventing him from re-entering the lineup.

"This is a different injury than I've ever had," Doncic said (h/t Khobi Price of the California Post). "It's been the second time I've had a hamstring injury, obviously, way less in January. So the recovery's been a little longer, but I'm feeling good. Working every day, trying to come back."

The previous injury Doncic referred to sidelined him for just four games and limited his participation in the All-Star Game on Feb. 15.

Doncic, of course, won't play in Game 2 in Oklahoma City on Thursday night (Prime Video, 9:30 p.m. ET). He also remains unsure if he'll be available when the contest returns to L.A. for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday (ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET) and Monday (Prime Video, 10:30 p.m. ET). 

"I'm just doing everything I can," Doncic said (h/t ESPN's Dave McMenamin). "Every day, I'm doing stuff I'm supposed to do — obviously recovering, now I'm working. The doctor said eight weeks at the beginning of the first MRI, so I'm just going day-by-day, and I feel better every day."

Lakers forward LeBron James won't like hearing that. L.A. clearly missed Doncic — who averaged a league-leading 33.5 points per game during the regular season — in a 108-90 loss in Game 1 on Tuesday night. "King James" scored 27 points in that matchup. 

"We have a guy that averaged 37 a game [not in the lineup] ... There's the issues right there," James said when asked what the team's offensive problems were in a postgame news conference.

That issue may continue to plague L.A. Even if Doncic were playing, it'd still be outmatched against defending champion Oklahoma City. Now that he may miss even more time, the No. 4-seeded Lakers' chances of upsetting the No. 1-seeded Thunder only grow slimmer.

Clark Dalton
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Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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