Luka Doncic Set to Miss Remainder of NBA Regular Season Due to Hamstring Injury, Threatening His MVP Hopes

Luka Doncic has been ruled out for the remainder of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ regular season due to a grade two strain of his left hamstring, as announced by the club.

Doncic, currently the NBA‘s leading scorer, has been pivotal in the Lakers’ rise to third place in the Western Conference standings. However, he sustained the injury during Los Angeles’ heavy defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. An MRI scan confirmed the severity of his condition.

The Lakers, who are the champions of the Pacific Division with a record of 50-27, have only five games remaining before the playoffs, commencing on Monday in Dallas.

A grade two hamstring strain may necessitate several weeks of recovery, and Doncic has endured similar issues in the past. He previously missed four games just prior to the All-Star break due to a left hamstring strain but made a comeback shortly thereafter.

In what is his first complete season with the Lakers, following his acquisition from the Mavericks, Doncic has been performing incredibly well. He averages 33.5 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.7 rebounds per game for Los Angeles. He was recognised as the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Month for March after registering 13 straight 30-point games, which included seven 40-point outings, a 51-point explosion against Chicago, and a remarkable 60-point performance in Miami.

Doncic amassed an impressive total of 600 points in March, becoming just the 10th player in NBA history to achieve such a milestone in one month. While LeBron James and Austin Reaves have also excelled recently, the Lakers heavily rely on Doncic, who either scored or assisted on 58 per cent of their total points in March.

Doncic is well on his way to claiming his second NBA scoring title, yet he has only participated in 64 games this season. This means he will finish just short of the 65-game minimum required to qualify for the NBA’s most prestigious postseason accolades.

He was a clear candidate for an All-NBA selection and had been gaining traction as a potential MVP contender thanks to his remarkable form in recent games.

Aside from the two games missed due to hamstring injuries and a few other minor health-related absences early in the season, Doncic also missed two games last December after travelling to Slovenia for the birth of his second child. Additionally, he sat out one game last week due to a suspension resulting from accumulating 16 technical fouls.

Given that he is just short of the 65-game requirement, Doncic could potentially contest the rule by referencing the exceptional circumstances surrounding his daughter’s birth abroad through the grievance process established for these collectively bargained guidelines. However, it remains unclear whether such an appeal would succeed.

If Doncic secures the scoring title without making the All-NBA teams, he would become only the third scoring champion in NBA history to do so. Elvin Hayes missed out when he won the title as a rookie in 1969, and Bob McAdoo was similarly not selected for the All-NBA teams in 1976.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick reported that Doncic was injured during the first half of the clash against the Thunder but was initially cleared to re-enter the game while his team faced a significant deficit against the defending champions. Unfortunately, Doncic could manage only about four minutes before he pivoted and went down in pain, prompting his exit.

This defeat marked just the third loss for the Lakers in 19 matches since February 26, yet Doncic’s injury casts a shadow over the team’s prospects for the remainder of the season. Los Angeles holds only a one-game lead over fourth-placed Denver (49-28), while sixth-placed Minnesota (46-30) trails by 3.5 games but has a game in hand.

The Lakers’ final regular-season game is set for next Monday (AEDT), April 13, at home against Utah, with their first playoff series anticipated to commence the following weekend.