Ayumu Hirano and Scotty James make it through an epic night of qualifying on the Olympic halfpipe

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Given the injuries he’s overcome in the past month, there’s no blaming defending Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano for just being happy to be here.

The halfpipe riders trying to take his title at the Milan Cortina Games made it clear Wednesday night they don’t share that feeling.

On a night Hirano said he was at “50 percent” at best, some four weeks after breaking his nose and suffering leg injuries at a contest in Switzerland, the Japanese rider gave himself a chance to defend his title, finishing seventh in qualifying.

But this was no normal qualifier.

“All the boys are going for blood,” said New Zealand’s Campbell Melville Ives, who opened his evening by landing a triple cork, which was Hirano’s winning trick in the Olympic final four years ago. “It’s everyone throwing down because it’s the Olympics. You definitely don’t want to play it safe.”

Nobody did. Especially not Scotty James, the Aussie rider who has won everything there is to win except an Olympic gold medal.

He watched the first seven riders land run after run filled with tricks that would have put them on the medal stand four years ago — maybe four months ago.

James knows there’s an advantage in going last in Friday night’s final, which will give him a chance in the three-run final to see what everyone else has done — and landed — before he drops in. That meant trying to finish first in this contest, which he did by scoring a 94 in his first run.

“Doing the switchback 14 in qualifying is not something I would normally do,” James said of his toughest trick, one he linked with another 1,400-degree spin in the other direction — a historic combination — to win the X Games last month.

But the occasion — on a night where history's best snowboarder, Shaun White, was watching at the bottom — called for it.

On his second run, James joined Melville Ives and four other riders on the list of those who tried triple corks. He landed that one but later pulled up after a trick later down the pipe didn't go quite right.

To put it into context, it took about a decade for these riders to perfect the triple cork, which is three head-over-heels flips, usually combined with a full spin. Hirano's ability to land it at the last Olympics was the difference between first and second — between himself and James, who concentrates more on complex spins than flipping, and now, does both.

There were no obvious signs of injury as Hirano walked through the interview area after the qualifier on what many riders said was a perfect halfpipe. Asked if he could win Friday, given what he's been through, Hirano was blunt: “I'm not thinking too much about winning. I just want to do my best and the results will come from that.”

Melville Ives, who finished second to James at the Switzerland meet where Hirano got hurt, said the price of admission to the podium Friday night would start with flying 16 feet over the edge of the pipe on most of the jumps (higher on the less twisted ones).

“It's going to take multiple triple corks and spinning at least five directions,” he said, suggesting all five jumps in a run will have to be completely different.

If this contest was any indication, more than one of the 12 finalists will make that happen.

“I think it's going to be a hell of a battle,” James said.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

United States' Alessandro Barbieri reacts during the men's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Shaun White watches competition during the men's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Japan's Ayumu Hirano competes during the men's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Australia's Scotty James reacts during the men's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Australia's Scotty James competes during the men's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic will miss the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers' regular season with a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring, the team announced Friday.

Doncic is the NBA's top scorer and the driving force behind the Lakers' surge into the third spot in the Western Conference standings, but he injured his leg during Los Angeles' blowout loss in Oklahoma City on Thursday. An MRI exam revealed the severity of the strain.

The Pacific Division champion Lakers (50-27) have just five games left before the postseason, starting Sunday at Dallas.

Grade 2 hamstring strains sometimes require several weeks of recovery, but Doncic also has prior experience with hamstring issues. He missed four games right before the All-Star break with another left hamstring strain, but returned to the lineup after the break.

Doncic is putting up spectacular numbers in his first full season with the Lakers, who acquired the Slovenian superstar from the Mavericks last season. He is averaging 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game for Los Angeles, and he was named the NBA's Western Conference player of the month for March after racking up 13 consecutive 30-point performances, including seven 40-point games, a 51-point barrage against Chicago and a 60-point masterclass in Miami.

Doncic scored a whopping 600 points in March, becoming only the 10th player in NBA history to hit that mark in one month. While LeBron James and Austin Reaves have also played well down the stretch, the Lakers thoroughly depend on Doncic, who either scored or assisted on 58% of the their total points in March.

Doncic is all but certain to win his second NBA scoring title — but he has played in only 64 games this season, which means he will finish one game shy of the 65-game threshold to be eligible for the NBA's biggest postseason awards.

He was a lock to be an All-NBA selection, and he had even been making a late run at consideration for the MVP award with his outstanding play down the stretch.

Along with his two absences caused by hamstring injuries and a handful of additional absences for minor medical maintenance early in the season, Doncic missed two games last December while flying to Slovenia for the birth of his second child. He also missed one game last week under suspension for accumulating 16 technical fouls.

Since he sits just shy of the 65-game threshold, Doncic theoretically could challenge the rule by citing the extraordinary circumstances of his daughter's birth in Europe through the grievance process created for these collectively bargained rules. It's wholly unclear whether that appeal would have any chance of success.

If Doncic wins the scoring title but doesn't make the All-NBA teams, he would be only the third scoring champ in league history to fail to do so. Elvin Hayes wasn't selected when he won the crown as a rookie in 1969, and Bob McAdoo wasn't chosen for the teams in 1976.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said Doncic was injured in the first half against the Thunder, but was cleared to return to the game while his team was getting plastered by the defending NBA champion Thunder. Doncic lasted only about four minutes before he spun, stopped and went down on the court in pain, leading to his departure.

The loss was only the Lakers' third in 19 games since Feb. 26, but Doncic's absence casts a cloud of uncertainty over the rest of their year. Los Angeles only leads fourth-place Denver (49-28) by one game, while sixth-place Minnesota (46-30) is 3 1/2 games back with a game in hand.

The Lakers’ regular-season finale is next Sunday, April 12, at home against Utah. Their first-round playoff series is expected to start the following weekend.

AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers forward/guard Luka Dončić (77) drives against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, April. 2, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Gerald Leong)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) gestures after a three-point basket against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) is fouled by Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) as Magic forward Tristan da Silva, right, helps defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)