When it rains, it pours for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers got their doors blown off by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Thunder pounced right on the Lakers to take a 44-21 lead after the first quarter, and it only got worse from there as OKC ended up beating the Lakers by a humiliating final score of 139-96.
But what mattered more for the Lakers than Thursday’s result was what happened to franchise star Luka Doncic in the third quarter. While dribbling up the floor against Thunder forward Jalen Williams (as the Lakers were already trailing 90-58), Doncic attempted to make a move and came up hobbled, seemingly clutching his hamstring.
Luka Doncic hurt his hamstring pic.twitter.com/5s0Sx2N9Cc
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) April 3, 2026
Also particularly concerning was that Doncic appeared to be distraught immediately after getting injured.
Luka Doncic is devastated after getting injured pic.twitter.com/5DtQadCNfO
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 3, 2026
The Lakers quickly ruled Doncic out for the rest of the game, confirming that it was a left hamstring injury. Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported after the game that Doncic was set to undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the severity of his injury.
Doncic, the six-time All-Star, has been the primary reason for the Lakers’ success this season. He entered play on Thursday averaging an NBA-leading 33.8 points to go along with 7.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game on the year (with the Lakers climbing to No. 3 in the West at 50-27).
But hamstring injuries are notoriously tricky, creating an extra layer of concern for Doncic with just over one week left to go in the regular season. Doncic is known for playing through almost any and every possible injury during the postseason, but a serious hamstring injury would likely be too much for even him to gut it out on.
