OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic injured his left hamstring on Thursday night and coach JJ Redick said the league's scoring leader will have an MRI on Friday.
Redick said Doncic had an issue with the hamstring in the first half of the 139-97 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and was tended to at the break.
“We checked him out, he got work done, he was cleared," Redick said.
Doncic returned to action briefly. On his final play of the game, he spun before trying to go up for a shot against Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams. There was no contact before Doncic stopped, then lay down on the floor while wincing in pain. He left the game for good with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter.
“Those things happen,” Redick said.
Williams, an All-Star in 2025, has missed 27 games this season because of a right hamstring strain. He felt badly for Doncic.
“It’s very, like, spooky in a way to see it happen to him, and I’m the one guarding him," Williams said.
Williams could have stolen the ball after Doncic let it go, but he chose not to take advantage of the situation.
“I tried to let it go out of bounds and give them time to figure it out,” Williams said. “That injury sucks. So I wish him a speedy recovery. Hope it's not anything serious.”
Doncic had scored at least 40 points in five of his previous seven games. He was held to 12 on 3-for-10 shooting against Oklahoma City's relentless defense.
The Lakers trailed 90-58 when Doncic was hurt, so the injury made a bad night worse.
“I mean, it’s something you never want to see as a teammate,” Lakers forward Jake LaRavia said. “So especially in a game like this, it was tough to see him go down. All the prayers for him ... but yeah, you never want to see that.”
Lakers guard Austin Reaves hurt his back during the game, but continued to play. He sat out the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.
“He was in a weird position, stretching for a basketball, loose ball," Redick said. "And he just felt something intercostal, somewhere in his back, in between the ribs. He was able to play through it ... we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
The Lakers will host a rematch with the Thunder on April 7.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/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)
March 27 - April 2, 2026
People around Latin America and the Caribbean marked Holy Week with colorful processions and other traditional displays.
The 69 members of the security forces who died in a military plane crash in Colombia were honored in a solemn ceremony in Bogota.
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz docked in the Gulf of Panama.
Bolivia experienced heartbreak as the World Cup qualifying matches ended.
This gallery was curated by photo editor Anita Baca, based in Mexico City.
AP photography: https://apnews.com/photography
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnews
FILE - A raccoon is silhouetted against a rising pink moon in the night sky of Panama City, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)
FILE - A quinceanera rides in a vintage car marking her 15th birthday celebration in Havana, Cuba, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File)
FILE - Yuneisy Riviaux helps her daughter Edianet with her homework at their home in Havana, Cuba, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File)
FILE - A supporter of Popular Renewal presidential candidate Rafael López Aliaga, who has embraced the name nickname “Porky”, leans a against a wall alongside his “Porky” costume, in Lima, Peru, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia, File)
FILE - A dead tree stands out amid a lush green section of the Caxiuana National Forest that is used as a control plot for an experiment on drought run by the Esecaflor project in Para state, Brazil, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File)
FILE - A "gaucho," or cowboy, rides a horse during the Criolla Week rodeo festival, an annual festival held during Holy Week, in Montevideo, Uruguay, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico, File)
FILE - Inmates sleep outdoors due to lack of indoor space at the Tacumbu prison in Asuncion, Paraguay, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File)
FILE - A Bolivian fans wipes away tears after his country's team loss to Iraq in a World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match, in La Paz, Bolivia, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)
FILE - Photos of soldiers who died on a military cargo plane that crashed in Puerto Leguizamo, are arranged on the steps of an altar before the start of a memorial Mass at a military base church in Bogota, Colombia, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)
FILE - A worker points to the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz docking in the Gulf of Panama, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)
FILE - People walk with decorated bird cages during an annual pilgrimage of bird vendors to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)
FILE - Catholic children representing angels pose for photos prior to joining the Palm Sunday commemoration in Santa Cruz Chinautla, Guatemala, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo, File)
