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Luka Doncic injury update: Lakers star's MVP chances still alive; agent issues postseason update
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic injured his left hamstring on Thursday night and is set to miss the entire regular season
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic injured his left hamstring on Thursday night and is set to miss the entire regular season, it was revealed on Friday. NBA insider Shams Charania added that the Slovenian's postseason status also remains unclear.
Lakers coach JJ Redick had already confirmed that Doncic had an issue with his hamstring after an incident in the first half of the 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. “We checked him out, he got work done, he was cleared," Redick said.
Doncic returned to action briefly. On his final play of the game, he spun before trying to go up for a shot against Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams. There was no contact before Doncic stopped, then lay down on the floor while wincing in pain. He left the game for good with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter.
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“Those things happen,” Redick said.
Luka Donic's MVP case
Doncic has played 64 games, so he falls just short of the mark. It's worth noting that BetMGM Sportsbook, among others, took Doncic off the list of MVP betting options following his injury Thursday.
However, the Lakers guard's agent believes that his MVP contention is still on. Bill Duffy of WME Basketball, as per Charania, said that an Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge appeal would be filed.
“This season, Luka Dončić has performed at a historic level, leading the league in scoring, carrying the Lakers to third place in the Western Conference and placing himself in the middle of one of the most tightly contested MVP races in memory,” Duffy said.
"To ensure that Luka’s incredible accomplishments this season are rightly honored and he can be considered for the league’s end-of-season awards, we intend to apply for an “Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge” to the 65-game rule. Luka missed two games this season for the birth of his second child in Slovenia. His daughter was born on Dec. 4 on another continent, and yet he was back in the United States competing with his team on Dec. 6. Luka has gone to great lengths to show up for his team and this league this season. His record-breaking season deserves to be noted in the history books, despite last night’s unfortunate injury and other extraordinary circumstances. We look forward to working with the NBAPA and the league office to ensure a fair outcome in this matter."
Donic is currentlt leading the league in scoring. He is averaging approximately 33.5–33.8 points, 7.7–7.8 rebounds, and 8.3–8.4 assists per game while shooting around 46-47% from the field and 32% from three-point range.
Doncic had scored at least 40 points in five of his previous seven games. He was held to 12 on 3-for-10 shooting against Oklahoma City's relentless defense.
Lakers weigh in
“I mean, it’s something you never want to see as a teammate,” Lakers forward Jake LaRavia said. “So especially in a game like this, it was tough to see him go down. All the prayers for him ... but yeah, you never want to see that.”
Lakers guard Austin Reaves hurt his back during the game, but continued to play. He sat out the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.
“He was in a weird position, stretching for a basketball, loose ball," Redick said. "And he just felt something intercostal, somewhere in his back, in between the ribs. He was able to play through it ... we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
The Lakers will host a rematch with the Thunder on April 7.
(With AP inputs)
