After the Lakers were swept by the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, Luka Doncic fired back at media reports about his injury recovery. The five-time All-Star missed the entire series due to a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, and he made it clear in a postgame interview that some of the reports were simply not true.
The Lakers fell 110-115 to the Thunder in Game 4, losing the series 4-0. Doncic suffered the injury on April 2 during a regular-season game against the same team, with doctors projecting an eight-week recovery timeline. It was his second hamstring injury on the same side during the 2025-26 campaign, prompting the Lakers’ medical staff to take a cautious approach.
Before the series began, reports indicated that Doncic’s recovery was progressing slowly and he had not yet returned to full-contact practice. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported, “I’ve been told Luka will miss the start of the series… Sources say his recovery is still a slow process. He’s increased his on-court activity but hasn’t done any full-contact work.”
Doncic denied those claims. “I know some people wanted me back, but obviously I wasn’t close to being cleared,” he said. “There were inaccurate stories in the media. Those people haven’t seen my MRI. They don’t know anything. If I could play, I would give 100 percent. Everyone in the locker room knows that.”
To accelerate his recovery, the 27-year-old traveled to Spain for platelet-rich plasma therapy. While he made progress in light running and shooting drills, he never received clearance for full-speed basketball activities. “This is the time you want to play basketball the most, and it hurts not being able to help the team,” Doncic added. “Now I’ll look ahead to the offseason. I’m still rehabbing—that’s my priority.”
Without their top scorer, the Lakers struggled mightily, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder into the Western Conference Finals.