It turns out that former Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson is a lot like the rest of us. When he saw Luka Doncic go down in a heap on the sideline last Thursday in Oklahoma City, it was clear that the injury was serious and that Doncic would be out for some time with a hamstring injury. The only question was whether that injury was a Grade 1 hamstring injury, which would take him out for a week or two, or a Grade 2–which means more like a month.
The next day, it was revealed that Doncic did, inf act, suffer a Grade 2 injury, but that did not brace Lakers backers for what came next, when another dose of devastating news landed. While dealing with Doncic’s hamstring, the Lakers also knew that Austin Reaves was dealing with some discomfort during the loss to the Thunder, and it was revealed that he has a Grade 2 oblique strain.
Both Doncic and Reaves will miss the remainder of the season, and though there is some hope that Doncic can return early, both are expected to miss at least the first round of the playoffs.
Magic Johnson: ‘Timing Couldn’t Be Worse’ for Injury News
Johnson, who played 13 seasons for the Lakers, won five NBA championships and holds the all-time record for assists per game at 11.2, revealed he was crestfallen.
He wrote on Twitter/X: “Just when I thought Luka’s injury was devastating for my Lakers we got the news that Austin Reaves will also be out with an oblique injury. The timing of these injuries couldn’t be worse with the NBA Playoffs a week away.”
Lakers Injury Woes Overshadow Playoffs
Indeed, the Lakers’ challenge now is to keep themselves in the picture for one of the top seeds in the playoffs and hope to ride homecourt momentum to an upset win in the first round.
L.A. currently is fourth in the West, a half-game behind the Nuggets. They are a game ahead of the Rockets and hold the tiebreaker in that head-to-head matchup, as well as in the Nuggets matchup. If the Lakers can bounce back and pass the Nuggets, they’d likely get the Timberwolves in the first round, as the No. 3 seed with homecourt advantage,
If they stay at No. 4, it would be Houston, with the Lakers at home for Game 1. But fall to No. 5, and it the Rockets, but with Game 1 on the road.
Getty Luka Doncic of the Lakers
Lakers Could Get Luka Doncic Back Early
There is also some hope that the Lakers, if they can stay alive in the first round of the playoffs, somehow, could get Doncic back sooner than expected. That’s because of news that the Lakers star is going to Europe for a high-tech treatment on his hamstring that could get him ready to play on the early side of his timeline.
As ESPN’s Shams Charania reported, “I’m told Luka Doncic is currently in Spain, he traveled there because he is 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 is doing everything he can to get back out on the court.
“We know, a Grade 2 hamstring strain typically falls between four and six weeks. He is doing everything he can to see if he can push that timeline up just a little bit. We’re still not sure exactly how this treatment goes, does it work, how much does it speed everything up? But that’s what he is doing. He’s in Spain.”
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