Lakers’ Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves get major injury update before playoffs originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Los Angeles Lakers star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves got an important injury update ahead of the playoffs.
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ESPN’s Shams Charania appeared on Monday’s Pat McAfee Show and said that Doncic should be back in the United States this week after receiving multiple injections in his injured hamstring in Spain.
“Luka Doncic spent the last week in Spain and underwent multiple injection treatments in that hamstring to see if he can promote quicker healing. From my understanding, he’ll be back in the States on Tuesday, and they’re going to reevaluate him,” Charania said.
NBA insider Marc Stein added that there is “no update yet” on when he will be able to return.
As for Reaves, he’s expected to miss the entire first round.
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“Austin Reaves is out for the majority of the first-round series; most likely the earliest for him is going to be the first week of May,” Charania reported.
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Injuries cloud Lakers’ playoff hopes
Doncic and Reaves missed the Lakers’ last five games of the season, dealing with a hamstring and an oblique injury, respectively. L.A. went 3-2 in that span, winning their final three games of the season.
Both suffered the injuries on April 2 in a contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Los Angeles was playing some of their best basketball leading up to the two stars getting injured. Many thought they could make a serious run in the playoffs, but with both of their stars being out, their chances of even winning a game in the first round seem bleak.
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The Lakers finished the season with a 53-29 record and the fourth seed in the Western Conference. Los Angeles will now take on the Houston Rockets in the playoffs, with Game 1 being on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
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