Luka Doncic has been ruled out for Game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, while Jarred Vanderbilt is doubtful with a finger injury, and Luke Kennard is questionable due to a neck issue.
The Los Angeles Lakers will once again be without superstar Luka Doncic for Game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
Doncic has officially been ruled out with a Grade 2 hamstring strain and will miss his eighth playoff game this season.
There is still no clear timetable for his return, although the best-case scenario could be Game 4. Doncic suffered the injury during the third quarter of the Lakers’ loss to Oklahoma City on April 2.
One positive sign is that Doncic has resumed running, marking an important step in his recovery process.
However, he has not yet been cleared for full-contact activity, meaning he is still not close to returning to game action.
Speaking on Wednesday, Doncic revealed that doctors initially gave him an eight-week recovery timeline.
“I’m just doing everything I can,” Luka said. “Every day I’m doing stuff I’m supposed to do. You know, obviously recovering now, working. Like I said, doctors said eight weeks at the beginning of the first time around. So, you know, I’m just going day by day, and I feel better every day.”
Credit AP – Scanpix
Doncic also confirmed that he traveled to Spain for platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in an effort to speed up his recovery.
“I went to Spain to do PRP,” the NBA scoring champion told reporters. “Everybody knows that it’s one of the best countries to do that. Obviously, you know, we talked with the Lakers doctors, so everybody agreed for me to go there.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick emphasized that the team will not rush Doncic back.
“It’s very simple. It’s when he’s ready to play, he should play,” Redick said. “That comes with the athlete having confidence. It’s no different from Austin [Reaves].”
The Lakers dropped Game 1 to the top-seeded Thunder, 108-90, on Tuesday.
If Doncic is unable to accelerate his recovery, he could miss the entire series and potentially part of the Western Conference Finals if Los Angeles advances.
Game 2 will also take place in Oklahoma City. In addition to Doncic, Jarred Vanderbilt (finger) is listed as doubtful, while Luke Kennard (neck) is questionable for Thursday’s matchup.
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