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Luka Dončić stands with teammates during the Lakers’ playoff game as his injury timeline extends beyond the first round.

It remains a test of sheer patience for the ever-talented Luka Doncic, who has been relegated to a seat on the bench as his Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in a first round series battle.

The Lakers jumped out to a 3-0 lead over the Houston Rockets, but things have taken a negative turn as of late. 

L.A. is suddenly headed back to Houston to play testy Game 6. 

When the Lakers somehow ripped off a comeback for the ages in Game 3 — they were down six points with just around 30 seconds to play in regulation — it felt Houston’s heart had been snatched out of its soul. 

The Rockets looked dead in the water. Everyone wrote them off. 

Not so faaast! 

It appears Ime Udoka’s sharp criticism after that Game 3 loss pushed some buttons. The Houston head coach didn’t hide criticism of his players. 

Now the Rockets aren’t hiding from the moment. Can they complete an all time comeback?

Perhaps the Lakers are somewhere hoping Doncic comes out of nowhere to save a potential collapse.

Luka Doncic’s Injury: Insider Gives the Latest on What He’s Hearing

For a while, it looked like the Lakers weren’t going to miss Doncic at any point in the first round. Once they raced out to that 3-0 lead, there was confidence L.A. could ride that momentum into the second round when, hopefully, Doncic would be back. 

Doncic, 27, hasn’t played a game in 29 days. He incurred a Grade 2 hamstring strain in a 43-point beatdown at the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2.

Hoping for the best, Doncic hopped on a jet and was Spain-bound to seek specialized treatment on his hamstring. 

Doncic stayed abroad for about two weeks before rejoining the Lakers. He has ever since been sitting on the Lakers bench in street clothes with no word on how effective (if at all) the European treatment was.

As L.A. looks on to Game 6 in Houston, NBA insider Brian Windhorst has all the latest intel on Doncic’s injury recovery and where the star guard’s return timeline stands.

“Luka has not, to my knowledge, begun contact basketball yet,” Windhorst. “… You’re looking having to play 3-on-3, then having to play 5-on-5. That has not happened yet. So, you will not see Luka out there in a Game 1 [of the second round]. 

Upcoming Playoff Schedule Spells Worry for L.A.

Entering the playoffs, Lakers fans grew happy when they discovered the schedule of the first round of the playoffs. 

With two and even three days in between games, it appeared enough time would pass to allow Doncic to make his return sooner into the postseason. Of course, that hasn’t happened yet.

As the spring tournament shifts to the second round, Windhorst notes the reduced times between games and how that could lead to Doncic missing a large chunk of the Lakers’ next series if they advance. 

“The second round is less time off, it’s every other day,” Windhorst said. “It is pretty ironclad. You have seven games, you have seven off days; it’s 14 days. It will start on a day and it will end 14 days later. … Two weeks from now, Luka might be there”

It has become clear Doncic’s return target cannot be determined until at least another week or two. 

The Lakers, right now, have to close out the Rockets to set up a second round series with the Thunder. Only then can a Doncic return be entertained. 

All signs point to Doncic missing the first two games in Oklahoma City. For Games 3 and 4, though, things can get a lot more intriguing.