The Los Angeles Lakers spent all of March fighting for seeding, flipping narratives, and proving they were a nightmare matchup for anyone in the West. Now, just five days into April, the third-seeded Lakers are the team everyone wants to see in the playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Injuries to Luka Doncic<\/a> and Austin Reaves<\/a> made sure of that.<\/p>\n Lakers\u2019 Stars Devastated by Injuries<\/p>\n April couldn\u2019t be off to a worse start for the Lakers. They suffered a 43-point loss in a measuring stick game against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. But that\u2019s not all.\u00a0<\/p>\n Doncic exited that game in the third quarter with a left leg injury. He was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain the next day. He will miss the remainder of the regular season. His availability going into the playoffs is uncertain, but it doesn\u2019t look good.\u00a0<\/p>\n The playoffs start in 13 days, but the average recovery time<\/a> for the injury is three to six weeks. At the very least, in hopes of advancing the treatment, Doncic will seek specialized medical treatment in Europe.<\/p>\n After consultation with Lakers doctors and his own medical team, Luka Doncic will seek specialized medical treatment in Europe on his Grade 2 left hamstring in an attempt to expedite his return to play, agent Bill Duffy of WME Basketball tells me and @mcten<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/qutILIxzMK<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Unfortunately, however, the bad news doesn\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n Following the loss in OKC, Reaves said<\/a>, \u201cI went back to get a rebound, overextended a little bit, and I felt something.\u201d<\/p>\n Reaves underwent multiple MRI exams and was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury. He is expected to miss four to six weeks.<\/p>\n Lakers’ Austin Reaves is expected to miss four to six weeks with the Grade 2 oblique injury, sources tell ESPN. Devastating run of injuries to L.A.’s two leading scorers. Reaves and Luka Doncic are expected to be sidelined to begin the NBA playoffs. https:\/\/t.co\/E2495zVWqH<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n These injuries came at the worst possible time. The Lakers just had their best month of the season, and the playoffs start in less than two weeks.<\/p>\n Dominant March Down the Drain<\/p>\n The Lakers had a 15-2 record throughout March. Thanks to a defense that finally showed improvement and a little Luka magic, they were one of the NBA\u2019s hottest teams all month.<\/p>\n The Lakers\u2019 defense ranked 10th<\/a> in the league, and Doncic averaged<\/a> a herculean 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 2.3 steals per game.\u00a0<\/p>\n Doncic led the Lakers to back-to-back wins against the Houston Rockets, an overtime win over the Denver Nuggets, and a 14-point win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in that span. All three of those teams have 46 or more wins and are fighting for seeding in the West.<\/p>\n The Lakers took the lead in the race for the third seed and proved to their Western Conference competitors that they were a scary opponent.\u00a0<\/p>\n They had all the momentum.\u00a0<\/p>\n Then their two leading scorers got injured.<\/p>\n Lakers\u2019 Long-Term Outlook<\/p>\n The depleted Lakers risk dropping in the standings in their final four games of the regular season. They now sit 0.5 games behind the Nuggets and are just one game ahead of the Rockets. If they fall behind Denver and Houston to the fifth seed, they won\u2019t have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.<\/p>\n Two of the Lakers\u2019 last four opponents have a winning record. Two of the Nuggets\u2019 last three opponents have a winning record. And three of Rocket\u2019s last four opponents have a winning record.<\/p>\n The Lakers need to capitalize on their favorable schedule; otherwise, they risk falling into an even deeper hole<\/p>\n Five days ago, the Lakers were a scorching team no one wanted to see in a seven-game series. <\/p>\n Now, they\u2019re the matchup everyone should want.<\/p>\n