The Lakers, amidst their most exciting season in several years, endured a no-good, very bad series of events this weekend.
Los Angeles was run off the court during a Friday night showcase against the defending champion Thunder. In the process the Lakers lost both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves to injury. Dončić suffered a hamstring issue that forced him out in the third quarter and an MRI on Sunday revealed Reaves had an oblique injury. The two stars were immediately declared out for the remainder of the regular season and subsequent reports stated they could both miss up to six weeks in recovery.
It is a very tricky timeline. L.A.’s regular season will end on April 12 and the playoffs begin on April 18. If Dončić and Reaves miss the bare minimum amount of time they could be back in action (albeit rusty) by the first week in May—which, based on last year’s calendar, will either be in the very late stages of the first round or the first games of the second. That almost certainly means the Lakers, led by 41-year-old LeBron James, will have to win a first-round playoff series without the two stars’ prodigious offensive talents. The margin for error is very slim.
Dončić apparently recognizes that reality and is willing to go to great lengths to recover as quickly as possible from his hamstring injury. On Sunday night ESPN’s Shams Charania shed light on just how far the Slovenian superstar is willing to go: he plans to take a trip to Europe to seek alternative treatment for the injury. On Monday Charania provided further details on the situation, reporting Dončić is headed to Spain in an effort to “promote healing” in his hamstring.
“I’m told Luka Dončić is currently in Spain,” Charania said on Monday. “He traveled there because he’s undergoing an injection procedure in that Grade 2 hamstring area to see if he can promote healing and, at the end of the day, expedite his return process. He’s doing everything he can to make it back out on the court. We know a Grade 2 hamstring strain typically falls between 4 to 6 weeks [of recovery]. He’s doing everything he can to see if he can push that timeline up, just a little bit. We still don’t know exactly how this treatment goes, does it work, how much does it speed everything up, but that’s what he’s doing.”
Details on Lakers injured stars Luka Doncic treatment in Spain and Austin Reaves timeline for NBA Today: pic.twitter.com/q0aG2WQrf0
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 6, 2026
Dončić is not the first athlete to head overseas to seek alternative treatment. Two recent examples are Auston Matthews of the NHL and Christian McCaffrey of the NFL. Matthews was sent to Germany by the Maple Leafs for an injury he was battling throughout the 2024–25 season. McCaffrey also went to Germany, but to consult a specialist on an Achilles tendonitis issue that kept him sidelined for the first few months of the 2024 campaign. Whether their alternative treatments helped is not entirely clear but it’s not unusual for an athlete to go to international lengths in order to give their bodies the best treatment possible.
The Lakers are hoping against hope Dončić’s trip to Spain will get him back earlier than expected. Even returning days earlier than the projected timeline could be the difference between advancing in the postseason bracket and straight-up elimination. Every moment counts.
Time will tell whether Dončić’s trip pays dividends.
How Lakers’ playoff push is shaping up without Dončić, Reaves
While there’s plenty to be concerned about in the grand scheme in regards to the Dončić and Reaves injuries, the Lakers still have to finish out this regular season strong.
After losing on Sunday night to the Mavericks despite a 30-point, 15-assist double-double from James, Los Angeles is tied for the third seed with the Nuggets at 50–28 but own the tiebreaker thanks to winning the season series. The Rockets loom just behind Denver at 49–29.
The tiebreaker helps and there’s very little chance the Lakers could be caught by the 46–32 Timberwolves, so it’s not all on the line over the last four games of the year. But Los Angeles wants every win it can get. If the team can stay in the third seed they’ll earn a first-round draw against a floundering Minnesota franchise and a banged-up Anthony Edwards. But falling to the fourth or fifth seed will lead to a clash with either the Nuggets or the Rockets and a second-round date with the defending champion Thunder, whom the Lakers want to avoid as long as possible.
Of the final four games on the docket, three seem quite winnable without Dončić or Reaves. The purple-and-gold’s next appearance against Oklahoma City on Wednesday night is probably a loss. But then come two games against play-in teams (the Warriors and Suns) before a season finale against the tanking Jazz.
Is three out of four enough to keep Denver and Houston at arms’ length? Los Angeles is hoping so.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Dončić Seeking Special Treatment for Hamstring Injury in Spain As Lakers Push for Playoffs.
