Luka Dončić exits blowout loss with strained hamstring, MRI scheduled
The Sporting Tribune
Host · Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY — Luka Dončić exited early in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night after suffering a strained left hamstring, adding injury to an already lopsided defeat.
Dončić was ruled out shortly after leaving the game in the third quarter and will undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the severity of the injury, head coach JJ Redick said postgame.
The injury appeared to occur after Dončić had already been dealing with discomfort earlier in the game. He initially hurt the hamstring in the first half, received treatment at halftime and was cleared to return, but aggravated it in the third quarter.
Midway through the third, Dončić planted on his left leg, grimaced in pain and went down before eventually walking off the floor under his own power. He did not return.
Dončić finished with 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting in what was one of his least productive outings of the season before his early exit.
The Lakers were already trailing 90-58 at the time of his departure and never recovered, suffering their worst loss since November 2023 and snapping a four-game winning streak.
The Thunder dominated from the opening minutes, building a double-digit lead within the first four minutes and taking a 30-plus point advantage into halftime behind a balanced effort led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
After the game, teammate LeBron James expressed concern about the injury, noting the timing late in the season and Dončić’s importance to the team.
Dončić, who has been one of the league’s top performers this season and recently earned Western Conference Player of the Month honors, had previously missed time in February with a similar hamstring issue.
The Lakers now await the results of Friday’s MRI, which will determine whether their franchise cornerstone will miss significant time as the team approaches the postseason.
