Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers brings the ball up court against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center on April 2, 2026.

Luka Dončić traveled to Europe last week in an attempt to speed his recovery from a Grade 2 hamstring strain. Cooper Neill / Getty Images

Luka Dončić will rejoin the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, ahead of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, a league source confirmed to The Athletic.

No determination has been made on Dončić’s availability for Saturday’s Game 1, however.

League source confirms Luka Dončić is scheduled to rejoin the Lakers on Friday. There’s no determination on his playing status as of now, per source.

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 13, 2026

Dončić missed the final five games of the regular season with a Grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered on April 2. He traveled to Europe last week in an attempt to speed his recovery. Grade 2 strains generally take weeks, and in some cases more than a month, to heal.

“I just know that he’s gonna do everything he can to try to be back,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said last week.

Dončić led the NBA in scoring with a 33.5-point average in 64 games.

The No. 4-seeded Lakers have home-court advantage over the No. 5-seeded Rockets.

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Apr 13, 2026

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