Thursday night’s game between the Lakers and Thunder had plenty of promise on paper. Oklahoma City is the top team in the West and the reigning champion, but Los Angeles has been playing its best basketball of the year, holding firm to the No. 3 spot in the conference through an absolutely electric month of March.
Very quickly though, it became apparent that this was not going to be the playoff preview fans had hoped, with the Thunder jumping out to a 44–21 lead in the first quarter and never looking back. The deficit was painful enough, but things got far worse for Lakers fans a few minutes after halftime when Luka Dončić limped off the court with an apparent injury.
The injury came with seven minutes to play in the third quarter and the Lakers trailing by 32. Dončić brought the ball up the court, worked his way to the elbow, and then grabbed at the back of his leg before limping off the court. While the broadcast noted that Dončić was able to walk back to the locker room without help, it’s still not the type of development the Lakers were hoping for heading into the night.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that Dončić will undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the extent of his left hamstring injury.
Oh, God...Luka Doncic is hurt pic.twitter.com/1YwQaBTjrm
— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) April 3, 2026
The injury comes after Dončić just finished one of the best months of basketball we’ve ever seen from a player, leading the Lakers to a 15–2 record in March while averaging an astounding 37.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game.
The way the Lakers were playing heading into Thursday’s matchup, there was reason to consider them real title contenders, with the test against Oklahoma City a possible exclamation point on their stellar run of play. Instead, the game was over by the end of the first quarter.
While disappointing, the outcome of the game is far less important for the Lakers than the severity of Dončić’s injury. Hopefully it’s something minor that won’t keep him off the court for too long. If it turns out to be worse, the Lakers’ postseason hopes grow grim pretty fast.
More NBA from Sports Illustrated
- Luka Dončić’s Injury Led to Tense Moment Between Austin Reaves and a Courtside Thunder Fan
- Lakers NBA Championship Odds After Luka Doncic Injury Provide Glimmer of Hope
- Thunder Show Lakers the Gap Between Good and Great
- A Title Contender is Not Giving LeBron $50 Million
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Dončić Limps Off Court With Apparent Injury As Thunder Blow Out Lakers.
