NBA: Lakers' Luka Doncic to have MRI on strained hamstring

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic strained his left hamstring during Thursday’s 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and is scheduled for an MRI on Friday to assess the severity of the injury, Lakers coach JJ Redick told reporters after the game.

The 27-year-old guard, who leads the NBA in scoring with 33.5 points per game, first appeared to injure his hamstring in the first half, according to ESPN. He tweaked it again in the third quarter while being guarded by Jalen Williams, planting his left leg before doubling over in pain and lying on the court, covering his face with his hands.

Doncic had scored 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting before exiting the game with 7:39 left in the third quarter. The Lakers trailed 90-58 at the time, ending their four-game winning streak.

“At this point, at this juncture of the season, it’s the last thing you want to see,” teammate LeBron James said. “When you have an MVP candidate on your team, the last thing you want is someone going down with a hamstring injury. Pray for the best and a speedy recovery.”

Doncic did not speak to reporters after the game but joined his teammates for their postgame flight to Dallas. Redick said the team’s medical staff treated Doncic’s hamstring at halftime and cleared him to return to the court.

“We checked him out,” Redick said. “He got work done. He was cleared. We’re not going to put a player at risk.”

This is not the first time Doncic has suffered a left hamstring injury this season. He missed four games in February due to a previous strain. Despite that, he earned Western Conference Player of the Month honors in March, averaging 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 2.3 steals per game.

A six-time All-Star, Doncic has been named to the All-NBA First Team five times and was the 2018-19 NBA Rookie of the Year.

—Field Level Media/Reuters