Luka Doncic Rejoining Lakers After Getting Injury Treatment In Europe

Luka Doncic will beryllium backmost for nan opening of nan Lakers’ playoff run. Just not connected nan court.

The Lakers’ superstar will rejoin nan squad by Friday aft walking to Spain to person specialized curen connected his Grade 2 hamstring strain, a root acquainted pinch nan business confirmed to The Times, but location is nary timetable for Doncic’s return to nan lineup.

Doncic suffered nan wounded successful a crippled against Oklahoma City connected April 2. A Grade 2 strain typically requires 4 to six weeks of recovery, but Doncic traveled to Europe to person injections connected his near hamstring pinch nan dream of speeding up nan betterment process.

The Lakers (53-29) look nan Houston Rockets successful Game 1 of nan first information connected Saturday astatine 5:30 p.m. astatine Crypto.com Arena. The fourth-seeded Lakers are looking for their first playoff bid triumph since 2023.

They are underdogs without Doncic and guard Austin Reaves, who suffered a Grade 2 near oblique strain successful nan aforesaid game. Doncic led nan convention successful scoring pinch 33.5 points per game. Reaves, nan team’s second-leading scorer astatine 23.3 points per game, is expected to miss 4 to six weeks pinch his injury.

The Lakers vanished nan play pinch 3 consecutive wins to clasp onto home-court advantage successful nan first round. LeBron James reasserted himself arsenic nan team’s apical player, averaging 25.5 points, 11 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals successful nan games since Doncic and Reaves were injured. He was named Western Conference subordinate of nan week Monday aft starring nan Lakers to a 3-1 grounds successful nan last week of nan regular season.

The Lakers went 2-1 against nan Rockets (52-30) during nan regular season, but Doncic played a awesome domiciled successful nan 2 wins. He scored 76 points successful nan victories, which came successful a two-game bid successful Houston that resembled a playoff ambiance successful March.

The Rockets vanished nan play pinch 9 wins successful their past 10 games.

Staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this report.