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Los Angeles, CA - March 27: Lakers guard Luka Doncic, #77, reacts to a referee's call in the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Friday, March 27, 2026. For the second time in less than a week, Luka Doncic faces a one-game suspension because of technical foul accumulation. Doncic finished with 41 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the win.(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder as they still await a Luka Doncic injury return from the grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered in early April.
The Lakers are not expected to defeat the defending champion Thunder in the conference semifinals, but if they could see Doncic fully recover from his injury and get back on the court at some point in the series, there is hope that they can make it a competitive matchup against the defending champions.
However, while Doncic himself recently revealed a telling injury update after the Lakers’ Game 1 loss, the overall sentiment is still that Los Angeles faces a massive uphill battle against Oklahoma City regardless of whether he returns or not.
GettyOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – MAY 05: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives around LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first quarter in Game One of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Paycom Center on May 05, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Speaking on ESPN’s The Hoop Collective podcast, NBA insiders and analysts Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, and Tim McMahon discussed the Lakers’ chances against the Thunder in both a reality that sees Doncic return, and one that sees him stay sidelined.
While the Thunder, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in particular, didn’t have the best start to the series, they won by 18 points, which is now their sixth dominant victory in a row against Los Angeles dating back to last season.
“Unless Luka Doncic can come back and play in this series, the Thunder shouldn’t lose a game,” Bontemps said. “And (the series) shouldn’t be much more competitive than (Game 1). The Lakers just don’t have the weapons to go up against this team, we’ve seen this time and time again this season.”
Though the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets without Doncic and only having Austin Reaves for two of the six games, Oklahoma City is a completely different test.
“They don’t have any hope if Austin Reaves isn’t good…This is a guy who rushed back from an oblique injury,” McMahon added. “He is a priority for the Thunder defense, but he isn’t the main priority…The Lakers have no chance if Austin Reaves isn’t really good.”
All three described how Los Angeles hasn’t gotten the help they need from their role players, and with Doncic still out, they need them more than ever. Additionally, Jarred Vanderbilt went out with a finger injury, and his status for the rest of the series remains unknown.
“The Lakers are trying to get this done without the face of their franchise, for now, and maybe for the whole series,” McMahon closed with.
GettyWASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 30: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates in front of Jamir Watkins #5 of the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on January 30, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Doncic remains out indefinitely, but speaking after the Lakers’ Game 1 loss, he provided a much-needed injury update to the media.
While in front of the press, Doncic addressed a few key points, including him saying that he started running in his recovery process but that he has yet to advance to full-contact work, and that his hamstring injury was originally supposed to keep him out for roughly eight weeks.
“The moment the day I did the MRI on the hamstring, the doctor told me eight weeks at the beginning,” Dončić said, per Dan Woike of The Athletic. “I’m doing everything I can in the process, and I think we’re on a good way. But at the beginning, he told me eight weeks.”
Luka Doncic’s response when asked whether he’ll try to ramp up his return-to-play process for when Lakers-Thunder shifts back to L.A.: “I’m just doing everything I can, like I said, every day I’m doing stuff I’m supposed to do. The doctors said 8 weeks at the beginning of the 1st
Doncic also said that his current hamstring injury is ‘A different injury than I’ve ever had…the recovery’s been a little bit longer,’ but added that his trip to Spain, that has now come under question, did help his recovery process.
Still, according to Woike, the Lakers star isn’t expected back in their second-round series against the Thunder.
“The update is the clearest timeline Dončić has publicly shared since suffering the injury,” he added. “It appears the Lakers will need to extend their season beyond the Western Conference semifinals to get Dončić back on the court.”
For now, Doncic is still without a return timeline, and the Lakers have yet to offer an official update on his status for the rest of the series.
After losing Game 1, Los Angeles hopes to bounce back against Oklahoma City despite still not having Doncic for Game 2, a matchup that will come at 6:30 pm PST on Thursday, May 7.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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