AfriPulse
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain during Thursday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder and will miss the remainder of the regular season, the team announced Friday.
Dončić was injured in the third quarter of the 139-96 loss, a brutal turn of events in what turned out to be a miserable night for the Lakers, who entered the showdown with the Thunder harboring “statement game” aspirations. The Lakers rolled through March as one of the NBA’s hottest teams and had a chance to prove themselves as a true contender against the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed. Instead, they were humbled by the defending champions in a night that went from bad to worse when Dončić hobbled off the court.
Dončić will miss the Lakers’ final five games of the regular season, which concludes April 12. Whether he is sidelined into the postseason remains to be seen.
Dončić initially appeared to tweak the hamstring late in the first half, and coach JJ Redick told reporters he was evaluated at halftime and cleared to return. The Lakers trailed 82-51 at that point, and Redick said the plan was for Dončić and Austin Reaves to play “about six minutes” to see if they could “cut into the lead” before deciding whether or not to shut them for the rest of the game.
“We checked him out,” Redick said of Dončić. “He got work done. He was cleared. I mean, again, we’re not going to put a player at risk.”
What does this injury mean for Lakers, Dončić? The Lakers, now 50-27, really don’t have much wiggle room here. They have just a one-game lead over the Denver Nuggets for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers hold a tiebreaker over Denver, but if they fall to No. 4, they’d likely have to face this Thunder team again if they made it to the second round.
Further, the injury complicates Dončić’s pursuit of his first-ever MVP award . Though he has been a heavy underdog to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all season, Dončić picked up steam throughout a historic March and could have used Thursday’s head-to-head showdown as a way to pick up some needed momentum. Now he not only lost the game, but potentially his eligibility for awards as well.
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Dončić has played in 64 games. The threshold for eligibility is 65, meaning Dončić will fall one game short of qualifying for both MVP consideration and All-NBA candidacy. The only way that can change is if Dončić applies for and is granted an “Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge” to the 65-game rule. Bill Duffy, Dončić’s agent, said in a statement that this is the route they will take , citing Dončić missing two games earlier this season to fly to his native Slovenia for the birth of his daughter.
“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,” Duffy said, via ESPN. “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.”
Dončić has nothing material to gain by making an All-NBA Team. By getting traded to the Lakers, he lost his chance at supermax eligibility, instead signing a standard max extension last offseason. But March was the best month of Dončić’s career and legitimate MVP shots are rare. Dončić may have just lost his shot at one.
And as nice as the MVP trophy looks on a mantle, it isn’t the one the Lakers are seeking. If this team is going to meaningfully compete with the Thunder for the Larry O’Brien in June, having a healthy Dončić is going to be essential. Even with him, they were no match for Oklahoma City on Thursday. It’s hard to imagine a worse outcome for a regular-season game in April.
Source: CBS Sports | Read the Full Story…
