Thunder’s Jalen Williams has sustained a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and will be re-evaluated on a weekly basis.
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 31: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers makes a slam dunk against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second half at Crypto.com Arena on March 31, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
The Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from beating the Houston Rockets and advancing to the second round to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, a series that could see Luka Doncic make his injury return.
The Lakers still have to finish the job against the Rockets, but with an Austin Reaves injury comeback on the horizon, Los Angeles will have three chances to close out their 3-1 series lead over Houston.
Though the Lakers won’t want to look ahead, their potential second-round opponent, the Thunder, is already waiting for them. While OKC dominated Los Angeles in the regular season, the series could be more intriguing than initially thought.
Los Angeles’ chances against the Thunder will hinge on Doncic’s return from injury, and while the latest updates don’t signal an exact date for his return, if he does come back soon, the Lakers could be in a better spot than many think.
GettyOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – APRIL 02: Jalen Williams #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots the ball during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Paycom Center on April 2, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
As things stand, the Lakers are one win away from playing the Thunder in the second round, a series they would not be favored to win, based on the recent history between the two sides.
However, one major storyline that could have a big impact on the series is the Jalen Williams injury, as OKC’s star wing has missed a lot of time this season, and is currently out with a hamstring strain, week-to-week, according to Shams Charania.
Additionally, while there is no return timeline for Williams, he isn’t expected to be getting back on the court anytime soon.
Thunder’s Jalen Williams has sustained a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and will be re-evaluated on a weekly basis.
With that, assuming Doncic could return at some point in the series, it creates a brand new scope for how a potential Lakers-Thunder matchup could look, according to Zach Lowe of The Ringer, speaking on his podcast.
“If Luka could ever get back…I actually think the Jalen Williams injury, if he is also out, could really matter in this series,” the analyst said.
“If Luka is back, and Reaves is back, you have these three really good offensive players (including LeBron James). Dort would guard one, and Jalen Williams would guard the other…(But if the Lakers) have all of them, and the Thunder don’t have Jalen Williams, it just kind of gets fun in terms of the jigsaw puzzle of (OKC’s defense scheme).
Lowe added that what the Thunder would do on defense heavily relies on the injury status of Doncic and Williams, but if that goes in favor of the Lakers, it could create a distinct advantage for the Southern California team on the offensive end of the court.
“You see at least a roadmap for the Lakers to just slow this down, play old man bully-ball, Luka-centric basketball, and at least make it a competitive series,” he said.
With Williams week-to-week, it could open the door for a healthy Lakers team taking advantage of the Thunder without one of their key wing defenders. However, until that series starts, Lowe’s point remains speculation for right now.
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.
Officially, Doncic remains out indefinitely. There have been differing reports about a potential injury return, but what is known now is that he is not expected to return in the Lakers’ current series against the Rockets.
According to Shams Charania, Doncic may even miss the second round against the Thunder if Los Angeles can advance.
“It is a slow path on the recovery front for Luka. The expectation is if the Lakers are able to beat Houston and advance, Luka Doncic will be out for the next series,” he said on Wednesday. “There’s still no timetable for him as of right now. He’s starting to do more court movement as [Lakers coach] JJ Redick said the other day, but he is not at the point where he’s progressing in his own court work outs as far as one-on-ones and truly pushing it on a movement front.”
However, while that report is bad news for the Lakers, Doncic’s status for a second-round series remains unclear. According to NBA insider Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com, based on his reporting, the idea of the star returning in the middle of a potential Lakers-Thunder series can’t be ruled out.
“Sources close to the situation said the earliest Doncic would possibly return in a series against the Thunder would be when play shifts to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4,” Siegel wrote on Wednesday. “But there is no guarantee Doncic would be available for either game, as his status over the next two weeks will be dependent on how his body heals and responds to treatment.”
While those two reports doesn’t offer complete clarity on Doncic’s injury status or a potential return, he is slowly progressing through his recovery process. Additionally, the longer the Lakers can keep their season alive, the more time he will have to come back.
But overall, the Lakers having a healthy Doncic and the Thunder missing Williams could mean advantage Los Angeles. Still, for now, the injury returns for both remain uncertain.
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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