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Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on before a game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center on December 18, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Lakers were unable to close out their series against the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. Instead, they ended up losing by a final score of 115-96.

On Wednesday night, the Lakers will have another chance to win the series. They will have a chance to do so in front of their home crowd in Los Angeles.

Luka Doncic continues to be sidelined due to the hamstring injury that has kept him out since April 2. However, there have been positive updates about his recovery. He is getting closer to returning to the court.

Should the Lakers find a way to close out the Rockets and avoid the first ever playoff comeback from being down 3-0, they would move on to face the Oklahoma City Thunder. In order to knock off the defending champions, Los Angeles will need Doncic back on the court and playing at a high level.

Keeping that in mind, a new development has come out about Doncic’s recovery. That development has been followed by major news from a notable sports doctor.

Lakers’ Luka Doncic Given Major Update By Sports Doctor

As shared by Lakers head coach JJ Redick, Doncic has increased his movement in on-court drills. He has not advance to playing one-on-one just yet.

In response to that news, notable sports doctor Jesse Morse has weighed in with a potential updated timeline for Doncic’s return to the court. He thinks that Doncic could be back in time for Game 1 against the Thunder.

“Luka Doncic is still a week away,” Morse wrote on X.

“If the Lakers finish the series tomorrow, there’s a chance Luka returns in Game 1 or 2 against the Thunder. He’s getting closer!”

Now, Los Angeles simply needs to wrap things up against Houston. With Kevin Durant expected to be out once again in Game 5, the Lakers will have a prime opportunity to do so.

Los Angeles Is Getting Healthy at the Right Time

Getting Doncic back on the court in time to take on Oklahoma City would be huge. However, there has been another injury that Los Angeles has been dealing with.

Austin Reaves has been out since April 2 as well due to an oblique injury. It sounds like he will return to the court for the Lakers on Wednesday night in Game 5 against the Rockets.

Should both players be back on the court against the Thunder, Los Angeles would have a fighting chance. It’s the exact right timing for the Lakers to have an opportunity to move on to the Western Conference Finals.

Hopefully, the good news keeps coming for Los Angeles. For now, the latest Doncic update is exactly what the Lakers were hoping to hear.