{"id":696887,"date":"2026-04-04T00:36:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T00:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/696887\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T00:36:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T00:36:14","slug":"lakers-superstar-luka-doncic-suffers-season-ending-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/696887\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers superstar Luka Don\u010di\u0107 suffers season-ending injury"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Lakers\u2019<\/a> championship hopes just took a major hit.<\/p>\n

NBA scoring leader Luka Don\u010di\u0107 will miss the rest of the regular season with a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring, the team announced Friday.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear what his status is for the postseason.<\/p>\n

Don\u010di\u0107 was the main reason the Lakers climbed into the third spot in the Western Conference standings. But an injury to his leg during Los Angeles\u2019 blowout loss in Oklahoma City<\/a> Thursday has taken that all away after an MRI exam revealed the severity of the strain.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM<\/a><\/p>\n

Lakers coach JJ Redick said Don\u010di\u0107 was injured in the first half against the Thunder but was cleared to return to the game while his team was getting plastered by the defending NBA champion Thunder.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Don\u010di\u0107 lasted only about four minutes before he spun, stopped and went down on the court in pain, leading to his departure.<\/p>\n

The Lakers acquired Don\u010di\u0107 in a surprising and controversial trade in February 2025, when the Dallas Mavericks sent the Latvian superstar, along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to LA in exchange for 31-year-old Anthony Davis<\/a>, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. The move left many fans and pundits puzzled, believing the trade was lopsided in favor of the Lakers.<\/p>\n

The Pacific Division champion Lakers (50-27) have just five games left before the postseason, starting Sunday at Dallas.<\/p>\n

Grade 2 hamstring strains sometimes require several weeks of recovery, but Don\u010di\u0107 also has prior experience with hamstring issues. He missed four games right before the All-Star break with another left hamstring strain but returned to the lineup after the break.<\/p>\n

LAKERS STAR LUKA DON\u010cI\u0106 SAYS HE\u2019S IN A CUSTODY BATTLE WITH FIANC\u00c9E OVER DAUGHTERS<\/a><\/p>\n

Don\u010di\u0107 is putting up spectacular numbers in his first full season with the Lakers, who acquired the Slovenian superstar from the Mavericks last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He is averaging 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game for Los Angeles, and he was named the NBA\u2019s Western Conference player of the month for March after racking up 13 consecutive 30-point performances, including seven 40-point games, a 51-point barrage against Chicago and a 60-point masterclass in Miami.<\/p>\n

Don\u010di\u0107 scored 600 points in March, becoming only the 10th player in NBA history to hit that mark in a single month. While LeBron James<\/a> and Austin Reaves have also played well down the stretch, the Lakers depend on Don\u010di\u0107, who either scored or assisted on 58% of their total points in March.<\/p>\n

The Lakers\u2019 regular-season finale is next Sunday, April 12, at home against Utah<\/a>. Their first-round playoff series is expected to start the following weekend.<\/p>\n

The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

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