Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić will miss his fourth straight game on Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks due to a hamstring strain, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
According to that report, “He is still progressing in his rehab and hopes to be able to make an appearance in Sunday’s All-Star game for the World Team, sources said.”
Dončić had an injury scare in the Lakers’ 119-115 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 5. He left late in the first half and was ruled out for the second half due to soreness in his leg.
“He didn’t feel like it was good enough to go back in (to the game),” head coach JJ Redick said after the game. “Neither did (the) medical (staff), so we held him out. He’ll get some imaging. Too early to (diagnose) the injury. Just a sore hamstring.”
Dončić has remained mostly healthy this season. His longest streak of consecutive games missed before this latest issue was three between Oct. 26-29 due to a finger injury.
Injuries have been a concern for the Lakers throughout the season, however. LeBron James missed the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica. Austin Reaves returned against the Sixers after missing 14 games due to a strained calf.
Despite their missed time, the Lakers have been able to maintain a spot among the top six in the Western Conference standings. One reason has been because of Dončić’s performance.
The 26-year-old has been terrific in his first full year with the Lakers. He is averaging an NBA-high 32.8 points, along with 8.6 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game in 42 starts.
If the Lakers are going to be without Dončić for an extended period, Reaves and James will take over as the primary ball-handlers for the offense, though both were also out of action for Tuesday’s loss against the San Antonio Spurs.