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WASHINGTON, 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.

Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers remains sidelined with a grade 2 hamstring strain and won’t play in Game 4 of their first-round series against the Houston Rockets.

While Doncic is set to miss Game 4, and potentially the rest of the series as he is still out indefinitely, there has been a recent report that could signal bad news for both him and the Lakers.

Recently, news circulated online that Doncic ‘has had zero progression on his on-court work,’ but now, that appears to be a fake viral report, which is actually news from a few days ago.

Though Doncic remains sidelined, there have been videos and reports showing that he has been working out, so while he isn’t expected to play for the Lakers in Game 4 or in the series, the extreme fear that he’s further back in his injury recovery process can be put to bed.

Fake Luka Doncic Injury Update Goes Viral

Before Game 4 of the Lakers vs Rockets first round series, accounts reported that Doncic hadn’t made any progression on his on-court work, citing Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

However, McMenamin hasn’t offered a Doncic injury update in a few days, and while he had reported something to that ilk before an earlier game in the series, the report about Doncic’s lack of progression appears to be fake.

Before Game 2, McMenamin cited Lakers coach JJ Redick saying that Doncic ‘is preparing to begin his return to play progression and there is no timeline update.,’ but that was five days ago.

Officially, Doncic remains out, and per Shams Charania of ESPN, he is not expected back in the series against the Rockets.

Still, videos of Doncic at practice have emerged over the past few days, featuring him doing work with assistant coaches and getting up shots.

So, with that all settled, Lakers fans fears can quiet at least a little bit as they wait for a Doncic injury return.

When Is Luka Doncic Coming Back For The Lakers?

As mentioned, Doncic is still out indefinitely, as he’ll miss Game 4 for the Lakers with the hamstring strain he suffered in early April. As Charania said, there is the expectation that he’ll miss the rest of the series against the Rockets, regardless of how many games it goes.

Despite that, Doncic hasn’t been ruled out for the rest of the postseason, as Redick and the team have maintained hope he could get back on the court at some point in the playoffs.

In what is great news for the Lakers is that they have a 3-0 series lead over Houston, and through NBA history, teams are 159-0 with that lead. Though they haven’t played with Doncic or Austin Reaves in the entire series, the Lakers look poised to advance to the second-round, which makes the idea of both of the stars coming back a lot more likely.

Should Los Angeles advance, the second round would begin on May 4, and last up to two weeks. According to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, he belives Doncic returning in one of the first games of that series remains likely.

For now, however, the Slovenain star remains out indefinitely, but every win the Lakers get to extend their season bodes well for him potentially coming back. Additionally, while the report of his zero on-court progression might have scared some fans, they can rest easily knowing it was misinformation.