Luka Doncic injured with hamstring during Lakers loss to Thunder

The evening of April 2nd will remain one of the worst of the season for the Los Angeles Lakers. Not only did the team suffer a humiliating 139-96 defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they also lost their star Luka Doncic to injury. The Slovenian guard injured his left hamstring in the third quarter, casting a shadow over the California franchise’s playoff ambitions.

An injury that changes everything for Doncic and the Lakers

The incident occurred with 7 minutes and 39 seconds remaining in the third quarter. While the Lakers were already trailing by 32 points, Doncic was attempting to penetrate the paint against the defense of Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. He stopped abruptly, immediately grabbed the back of his left thigh and dropped the ball. Visibly in pain, he headed toward the baseline before lying down on the court, his face covered by his hands.

The images showed a completely devastated player, surrounded by his worried teammates. After a few minutes of immobilization, Doncic was able to return to the locker room under his own power, but with a visible limp. The team quickly announced that he would not return to the court and would undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the severity of the injury.

This injury comes at the worst possible time. Doncic had already felt hamstring pain early in the game, clutching his thigh after several accelerations. He had been listed as questionable before the March 27th game against the Nets for this same issue.

Injury News: #Lakers Super Star PG Luka Doncic went down with a hamstring injury.

Looks nasty. This has been ruled a strain and possibly miss up to 4 weeks and could be reevaluated. #NBA pic.twitter.com/mVDANO8D5b

— FirstDownMedia (@FirstDownMediaa) April 3, 2026

Major consequences for the MVP trophy

Beyond the immediate sports impact, this injury could cost Doncic dearly on an individual level. With 64 games played this season, he is just one appearance short of reaching the minimum 65 games required to be eligible for NBA awards, including the MVP trophy.

If the Lakers guard cannot play again before the end of the regular season, he won’t even be able to appear on MVP ballots, nor be selected to the All-NBA Teams. A cruel scenario for a player who was coming off the most prolific March of his career with 600 points scored, earning him the Western Conference Player of the Month title.

LIRE AUSSI

Luka Doncic matches Michael Jordan with historic March

2 avr. 2026

Nicolas Flamecourt

This season, Doncic was averaging 33.8 points, 8.3 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game, statistics worthy of a serious MVP candidate. His rivalry with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 28 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in just three quarters against the Lakers, was one of the storylines of this matchup.

With the playoffs beginning in 16 days and only five regular season games remaining, Doncic’s health becomes the Lakers’ absolute priority. Without their point guard, the team has a -1.3 differential this season, highlighting his crucial importance in the franchise’s title ambitions.