Luka Doncic Diagnosed With Grade 2 Left Hamstring Strain
Lakers guard Luka Doncic has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain after undergoing an MRI, the team announced on Friday (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The California Post).
While the Lakers formally ruled Doncic out for the rest of the regular season, they didn’t give any indication how much time he might miss beyond that. The average return timetable for a Grade 2 hamstring strain is 35 days, tweets Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes.
If Doncic, who leads the NBA in points per game, is out over a month, he could miss the entire first round of the playoffs. The full postseason schedule has yet to be released, but the first round begins on April 18.
Los Angeles clinched a playoff spot earlier this week and is currently the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers will have to lean heavily on Austin Reaves and LeBron James for scoring and play-making as they look to advance in the postseason.
Doncic appeared to tweak his hamstring with about a minute left in the second quarter of Thursday’s game in Oklahoma City, then pulled up lame on a drive in the third quarter. The Lakers were down 38 points at the time and wound up losing by 43.
Although it’s obviously of lesser importance compared to the Lakers being without their best player, there’s an “extraordinary circumstances challenge” in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that could still allow Doncic to qualify for major postseason awards, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The superstar guard would have to file an application and have it approved by an “independent expert,” but he appears to have a strong case based on the CBA language, Marks notes (via Twitter).
Doncic is currently at 64 appearances and needed to play one more contest to meet the 65-game requirement. However, he missed two games to travel to Slovenia for the birth of his child, and seems to meet the criteria listed in the CBA:
- It was impracticable for the player to play in one or more of the game(s) he missed due to extraordinary circumstances.
- The player would have played in at least 65 regular season games if he had played every game that he missed due to the extraordinary circumstances.
- As a result of the extraordinary circumstances, and taking into account the totality of the circumstances (including whether the player did not play in other regular season games in which he could have played), it would be unjust to exclude the player from award eligibility.
Doncic would have a 24-hour window in which to apply for the challenge, starting at 12:00 pm ET on the final day of the regular season (April 12). His agent Billy Duffy confirmed to Shams Charania of ESPN that he plans to fill out the application on behalf of his client (Twitter link).
If he is granted eligibility by the arbitrator, Doncic is a top contender to make his fifth first-team All-NBA appearance in six years. He averaged 33.5 points, 8.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 35.8 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .476/.366/.780.
Pacific Notes: Doncic, Jackson, Harris, Gillespie
If Lakers star Luka Doncic can’t play the remainder of the regular season — which seems likely due to his hamstring injury — he would be the first scoring leader to not make an All-NBA team since 1976, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
Doncic needs to play in one more game to reach the 65-game threshold for All-NBA consideration. The star guard is averaging 33.5 points per game, nearly two more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.6), who’s second in the league. In 1976, Bob McAdoo won his third consecutive scoring title and was second in the MVP race but didn’t make All-NBA.
On a related topic, Doncic’s absence will test the team’s depth, Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times points out. Marcus Smart has missed the last six games with an ankle sprain, though he could return this weekend. Bronny James could see his backcourt role expand in Doncic’s absence.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Clippers, who are already dealing with a number of frontcourt injuries, may not have Isaiah Jackson for the rest of the season. Jackson has a high ankle sprain and will not join the team on its road trip. He will be out at least one week, Janis Carr of the Orange County Register tweets.
- The Kings’ NBA G League GM, Gabriel Harris, is heading to the college ranks, as he’ll be named the University of Memphis Tigers’ general manager, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Harris and the Stockton Kings won the 2025 G League championship.
- Collin Gillespie, who is headed to free agency this summer, set the Suns’ franchise record for three-pointers in a season on Thursday night, according to The Associated Press. Gillespie set the mark in the second quarter of the Suns’ 127-107 loss to the Hornets. He made his 227th three-pointer from the wing, surpassing the record of 226 threes, set by Quentin Richardson in the 2004/05 season. “It’s a great accomplishment,” Gillespie said. “And I’m extremely grateful and thankful to everybody here for helping me, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really mean much right now with the loss.”
Luka Doncic To Undergo MRI Friday After Injuring Hamstring
Lakers superstar Luka Doncic sustained a left hamstring injury in Thursday’s game at Oklahoma City and will not return, per the team. The Slovenian guard will undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the severity of the injury, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).
Doncic’s injury occurred with 7:42 remaining in the third quarter (Twitter link). The Lakers were down 38 points at the time and wound up losing by 43, their largest margin of defeat this season, tweets Jovan Buha.
Doncic actually initially tweaked his hamstring in with about a minute left in the first half, notes Khobi Price of The California Post (Twitter video link). Head coach JJ Redick said after the game that Doncic was cleared to return for the second half despite the lopsided score, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Any type of lengthy absence for Doncic would be devastating to Los Angeles’ chances of making a run in the postseason. He had been on an incredible tear leading up to Thursday, helping guide the Lakers to a 15-2 record in March (14-2 when he played) en route to winning Western Conference Player of the Month. The 27-year-old was also nominated for Defensive Player of the Month.
Doncic became one of just 10 players in league history to record in 600 points in any calendar month. He did so across 16 contests in March, for an average of 37.5 points per game. That run included a 60-point game, a 51-point game, and five additional outings of at least 40 points.
Doncic, who was named first-team All-NBA five consecutive times from 2019-24, would likely be ineligible for major postseason awards if he misses the remainder of the regular season. The Lakers play five more times before the regular season ends on April 12.
Through 63 games (35.9 minutes per contest), Doncic was averaging a league-high 33.8 points, 8.3 assists, 7.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals, with a shooting line of .477/.369/.779. He made his 64th appearance on Thursday, but he played between 15 and 20 minutes in two of those games, which means he’d need to play 20-plus minutes in one additional contest to meet the 65-game minimum. While there’s an exception in the 65-game rule for players who suffer season-ending injuries, it only applies if the player has suited up for at least 85% of his team’s games and his injury is deemed likely to sideline him through May 31.
Law Murray of The Athletic points out that Doncic previously missed four games because of that same left hamstring and was recently suspended one game after accumulating 16 technical fouls (Twitter link).
Austin Reaves, who has been battling multiple nagging injuries, was also less than 100% during Thursday’s blowout loss, Woike writes for The Athletic. He went to the locker room to be checked out in the first half and returned for the second, but exited the game for good in the third quarter.
Luka Doncic, Jalen Johnson Named Players Of The Month
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Hawks forward Jalen Johnson have been named the NBA’s Players of the Month for March in the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (Twitter link).
It was a monster scoring month for Doncic, who became one of just 10 players in league history to pour in 600 points in any calendar month. He did so across 16 contests, for an average of 37.5 points per night. That run included a 60-point game, a 51-point game, and five additional outings of at least 40 points.
The star guard also contributed 8.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game while posting a shooting line of .492/.392/.794. The Lakers went 15-2 in March (14-2 when Doncic played), and the 27-year-old was even recognized for his defensive contributions — he was a Defensive Player of the Month nominee after averaging 2.3 steals per night.
The Hawks have been another one of the NBA’s hottest teams as of late, with Johnson playing a crucial role in their recent success. Atlanta went 13-2 in March (11-2 when Johnson played) and he averaged 22.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 8.5 APG while shooting 48.9% from the floor, 39.2% from beyond the arc, and 80.7% from the free throw line.
Johnson’s best games of the month came against conference rivals, including a 35-point, 10-rebound performance vs. Philadelphia on March 7 and a 24-point, 15-rebound, 13-assist triple-double against Orlando on March 16.
It’s the second time this season and the seventh time in his career that Doncic has been named a Player of the Month. He beat out fellow nominees Kevin Durant of the Rockets, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder, Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers, Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs, and Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray of the Nuggets, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
Johnson, meanwhile, is a first-time Player of the Month winner. The other nominees in the Eastern Conference were his Hawks teammate Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Cavaliers guard James Harden, Magic teammates Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane, and the Knicks duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Victor Wembanyama, Ausar Thompson Win Defensive Awards For March
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for a third straight time. After winning the award for January and February, Wembanyama has also claimed it for March, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
The overwhelming favorite to be this season’s Defensive Player of the Year, Wembanyama continued to anchor one of the league’s best defenses across 15 outings in March, racking up a league-high 56 blocks (3.7 per game) and 20 steals (1.3 per game) for the month. According to the league, the star big man also ranked second in the league by contesting 11.6 per game in March as he led San Antonio to a 14-1 record (the Spurs lost a second game in which he didn’t play).
While Wembanyama is the only player to win three Defensive Player of the Month awards this season, Pistons wing Ausar Thompson joins him as the league’s only other multi-time winner, having earned the Eastern Conference honor for March. Thompson was also the East’s Defensive Player of the Month in January.
Thompson now leads the NBA in steals per game after racking up 32 in 13 March appearances (2.5 per game). In addition to ranking first in steals per game for the month, he also led the league in deflections per game, with 4.8, and contributed 1.1 blocks per night as well.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other Western Conference nominees included four usual suspects – Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, Clippers guard Kris Dunn, and Thunder big man Chet Holmgren – along with one surprise: Lakers guard Luka Doncic.
In the East, Thompson beat out fellow nominees Scottie Barnes of the Raptors, Evan Mobley of the Cavaliers, OG Anunoby of the Knicks, and Hawks teammates Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels.
Mavericks Notes: Flagg, Kidd, Cuban, Williams, Welts
Cooper Flagg has lived up to the hype of being the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, but he admits the Mavericks‘ poor record has taken some of the joy out of his first NBA season, Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal writes in a subscriber-only piece. Flagg played with dominant teams in high school and college, so it’s been an adjustment to be part of a 24-52 Dallas squad that’s far removed from the playoff race.
“Obviously, it’s been tough,” Flagg said Wednesday in an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link). “I only lost four games last year [at Duke]. There’s been times through the season where it’s been mentally taxing on me, not having success that I would’ve hoped for.”
There was reason to believe the Mavs might be at least a play-in contender at the start of the season with Flagg teaming with Anthony Davis in the front court and Kyrie Irving expected to return from a torn ACL around the All-Star break. However, Davis’ continued injury issues led to a trade to Washington in February, and Irving’s comeback was delayed until the fall.
Flagg has still been brilliant overall and is locked in a tight race for Rookie of the Year honors with former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel. Afseth notes that he’s just the fifth teenager in NBA history to average 20 points per game.
“Obviously, we’ve had a lot of injuries and unfortunate things happen throughout the year,” Flagg said. “It’s obviously not been ideal, but I’ve had growth along the way, and I’ve had to get better and learn on the fly. It’s definitely not the start I would’ve looked for, but hopefully I’ll be able to look back on it and know that I was able to learn a lot from it.”
There’s more from Dallas:
- The controversy over trading Luka Doncic was revived on Tuesday during a podcast appearance by former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). Among Cuban’s comments was, “That doesn’t justify it for our coach and our general manager to stand up and trade our best player.” Head coach Jason Kidd, who has previously suggested he was caught off guard by the Doncic deal, said he called Cuban in response, but declined to elaborate before Tuesday’s game. “When are we going to move on?” Kidd asked. “We have to move forward. We’re focused on the present and the future and we’ve got an incredible opportunity to build.”
- Brandon Williams displayed his full offensive game in the first half Tuesday by scoring 11 points in the first quarter and handing out six assists in the second quarter, states Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. The Mavs will face a decision this summer on the free agent guard, who has seen his role expand since Irving’s injury. “I think everybody knows that I can really score the ball and use my speed, as well, but just organizing the floor, getting the floor set up before I even make an attack is pretty much the main key,” Williams said. “I have a Hall of Fame coach, so picking his brains, seeing what he sees and molding that into my game.”
- In an interview with Curtis, CEO Rick Welts talks about Flagg’s rookie season, Kidd’s future as head coach, and his desire to have a new head of basketball operations in place before the draft.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Doncic, Centers, Smart
The amount of money LeBron James is willing to accept in his next contract will help determine where he plays next season or if he plays at all, according to Dave McMenamin and Tim Bontemps of ESPN. James will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, which is an unusual position as he typically holds a player option that gives him leverage in determining his future.
“Will he play for the mid-level exception? For the minimum?” one scout asked the authors. “A big part of this is knowing what he will be willing to do [financially].”
McMenamin and Bontemps point out that if James is willing to accept a veteran’s minimum deal just to continue his career, he becomes an attractive option for any team in the league. If he demands the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will be about $15MM, or tries to work out a sign-and-trade, his next team may have to make other roster moves to get below the first tax apron.
The Lakers will hold James’ Bird rights and won’t face the same salary restrictions as their competitors. However, the need to re-sign free agent Austin Reaves, who could be in line for a max deal, will affect how much L.A. might be willing to spend in other areas. Sources tell the authors that along with Reaves, the Lakers are hoping to reach new deals with Jaxson Hayes, Luke Kennard and possibly Rui Hachimura if he can be re-signed at a reasonable price.
McMenamin and Bontemps list the Warriors, Cavaliers, Knicks, Nuggets and Clippers as teams to watch if James decides to go elsewhere.
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Head coach JJ Redick is touting Luka Doncic for Most Valuable Player honors, McMenamin adds in a separate story. L.A. went 15-2 in March with Doncic scoring 600 points, making him one of 10 players in NBA history to reach that total in any month. “He’s the engine that’s driving all of our winning,” Redick said. “Certainly, we have a ton of guys starring in their roles, but he’s the driver.” Doncic declined a chance to campaign for himself as MVP, per Melissa Rohlin of The California Post (Twitter video link).
- The Lakers have been getting improved play at center with the postseason approaching, notes Khobi Price of The California Post. It’s a welcome change from last year, when Redick was sometimes forced to use centerless lineups in a first-round loss to Minnesota.
- Marcus Smart will miss his sixth straight game with an ankle contusion when the Lakers travel to Oklahoma City on Thursday, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).
And-Ones: Lottery Reform, Awards, 65-Game Rule, Extensions
The three lottery reform ideas that the NBA presented at last week’s Board of Governors meetings should be viewed as “concepts” rather than fully formed proposals, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
The expectation, Stein and Fischer say, is that each concept will undergo some changes between now and the May meetings in which team governors will vote on anti-tanking measures — the end product may even end up being a combination of two or more of those ideas.
Interestingly, the idea of flattening the lottery odds, which is an aspect of two of those three concepts, has received plenty of support from general managers and ownership groups even before last week’s Board of Governors meeting, per Stein and Fischer, so it sounds as if flattened odds will be incorporated into the eventual solution.
For what it’s worth, in evaluating the three concepts reported last week, Zach Harper of The Athletic expressed strong support for the idea that would expand the lottery to 18 teams and then give each of the bottom 10 clubs an 8% chance at the No. 1 overall pick.
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- With award season around the corner, The Athletic is taking a closer look at several of the races for end-of-season hardware. Christian Clark and Mike Vorkunov debate Cooper Flagg vs. Kon Knueppel for Rookie of the Year; Joel Lorenzi, Jared Weiss, and Dan Woike consider how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, and Nikola Jokic stack up in the MVP race (all three had SGA first); and Fred Katz outlines the decisions that are causing him the most stress, including his Sixth Man of the Year pick, the No. 5 spot on his MVP ballot, and his All-NBA third team.
- ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps solicited feedback from league insiders about several hot-button NBA topics, including the 65-game rule and expansion. Notably, Adam Silver‘s belief that the 65-game rule has been effective at curbing load management is shared by a number of executives across the NBA, Bontemps writes.“I think the 65-game rule has obviously had unintended consequences and needs to be looked at,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “But can we stop acting like it wasn’t collectively bargained for? It works to dissuade otherwise healthy rest.”
- Keith Smith of Spotrac explores which players still eligible for veteran contract extensions are the best candidates to sign new deals before June 30, while Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report looks ahead to this year’s rookie scale extension candidates and makes predictions about how those negotiations will play out.
Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic Collect Player Of Week Honors
Jayson Tatum added another accomplishment to his impressive comeback from an Achilles tear. The Celtics forward has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, according to the league (Twitter links).
Boston’s star forward averaged 25.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists in three victories during the week of March 23-29. Sunday’s performance in Charlotte was his best game yet this season — he racked up 32 points on 12-of-23 shooting, contributing eight assists and five rebounds without committing a turnover.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic collected the Western Conference Player of the Week award. He had three triple-doubles in four Denver wins last week, registering impressive overall averages of 26.0 points, 17.0 rebounds, and 14.0 assists per contest, with a .563/.438/.773 shooting line.
It’s the third time this season that Jokic has been named the West’s Player of the Week. He also claimed the honor in back-to-back weeks in November.
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves (Lakers), Darius Garland and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Alperen Sengun (Rockets) and Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) were the other Western Conference nominees.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Hawks), Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Jalen Duren (Pistons), James Harden (Cavaliers) and Payton Pritchard (Celtics) rounded out the nominees from the East.
Luka Doncic Suspended For One Game After Collecting 16th Technical
5:38 pm: Doncic has officially been suspended for Monday’s game against Washington, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
7:57 am: Lakers guard Luka Doncic is once again facing a one-game suspension for reaching the season technical foul limit and this time he’s unlikely to get a reprieve, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
The Most Valuable Player candidate was whistled for his 16th technical foul in Friday’s 116-99 win over the Nets. It occurred in the third quarter when Doncic and Nets forward Ziaire Williams were assessed double techs following an offensive foul called on Doncic. A video review showed Doncic pushing Williams and Williams retaliating by swiping back at Doncic’s face.
Doncic continued to strengthen his MVP case as the game progressed, as he finished with 41 points.
“[Williams] was yelling in my face — three times,” Doncic said of the altercation. “I just wanted to get out of there. It’s a double tech, of course. What can I say? I didn’t even talk. I just wanted to get out of there. And they said I pushed, my push was ‘exaggerated,’ which [it] was obviously not. And I don’t know what else to tell you.”
The technicals have piled up due to Doncic’s penchant for complaining about calls and getting into scraps with opponents. Coach JJ Redick said the Lakers would appeal the latest one.
If the league denies the appeal, Doncic would miss Monday’s game against the rebuilding Wizards. That shouldn’t prevent the Lakers from collecting another victory. The Lakers beat the Wizards by 31 points when they played them on Jan. 30, McMenamin notes.
A one-game ban would cost Doncic $317K. He’s making $46MM.
The Lakers won an appeal of Doncic’s previous technical, which he picked up against Orlando last Saturday. That allowed Doncic to play against the Pistons the next game, though Detroit came away with a 113-110 win. That was one of just two losses by the Lakers over their last 16 contests.
Doncic is averaging 33.7 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game through 62 outings in his first full season as a Laker.