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Los Angeles, CA - March 27: Lakers guard Luka Doncic, #77, winks and points to a player after a play in the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Friday, March 27, 2026. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
All-Star guard Luka Doncic rejoined his Los Angeles Lakers teammates on the bench for their Game 1 win against the Houston Rockets on Saturday. While he wasn’t on the court for his team’s triumphant playoff start, he generated enough buzz by his mere presence at Crypto.com Arena after returning from Spain to undergo treatment for his injured hamstring.
A video of Doncic pleading with his teammates to play a little ball with him during halftime went viral. The Lakers, who took a 50-48 lead into the break, seemed too distracted to heed their franchise star’s request.
Doncic, diagnosed with a grade 2 hamstring strain on April 3, is expected to be sidelined for at least 10-14 more days.
The Slovenian star returned to Los Angeles on Friday after spending a little over a week in Europe. He reportedly underwent two rounds of cell therapy with a sports doctor at his former club, Real Madrid, and visited his two daughters in Ljubljana.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick provided an update on Doncic’s mindset on Friday.
“He’s in good spirits and we’re excited to see him today,” Redick said, via Khobi Price.
JJ Redick says he talked to Luka Doncic yesterday after he landed in Los Angeles: “He’s in good spirits and we’re excited to see him today.”
JJ Redick says he talked to Luka Doncic yesterday when he landed back in Los Angeles and Doncic was in good spirits. Redick is looking forward to having Doncic around the group for Game 1
Redick, though, has refused to provide a timeline for Doncic’s return.
“He’s out indefinitely,” Redick reiterated on Friday, via ESPN’s Lisa Salters.
Redick’s statement that Doncic is in “good spirits” isn’t surprising. An earlier report from Ekipa noted that the Lakers fully supported Doncic’s visit to his daughters in Slovenia because it would help buoy his spirits.
“…He came to Slovenia to visit his two daughters, whom he has not seen for several months,” read the report published on April 11.
“The Lakers are aware that the mental well-being of their first star is just as important as the physical. And it is clear that Dončić’s association with his two children will fill his soul and heart and have a beneficial effect on his mental state.”
A rejuvenated Doncic could potentially join his Lakers teammates on the court for Game 5 on April 29 or Game 6 on May 1 — unless he faces a setback in his recovery.
The Lakers’ win on Sunday all but guaranteed a longer series, which bodes well for both Doncic and Austin Reaves (oblique) to return at some point in the first round.
With Doncic and Reaves sidelined, LeBron James led the charge for the Purple & Gold on Saturday, finishing with 19 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds, including a postseason record eight assists in the first quarter.
JJ Redick praised James for setting the tone for the injury-ravaged Lakers.
“He displayed great leadership throughout,” Redick said of James. “We talked all week about being connected offensively and trusting the pass. He led us there in the first half, getting 10 assists, and then was able to make some scoring plays down the stretch.”
The Lakers enter Game 2 as +142 underdogs, per DraftKings. A win would allow the Rockets to seize home-court advantage before the series shifts to Houston for Game 3.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided's Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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