Luka Dončić unlikely to return during Lakers’ second-round series against Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY — Luka Dončić is unlikely to play in the Los Angeles Lakers’ second-round series against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. The star guard said Wednesday that the hamstring injury he suffered in early April initially came with an eight-week recovery timetable.

Even if the Lakers were to force a Game 7 against the Thunder, it would still come less than seven weeks after the injury.

“The moment the day I did the MRI on the hamstring, the doctor told me eight weeks at the beginning,” Dončić said. “I’m doing everything I can in the process, and I think we’re on a good way. But at the beginning, he told me eight weeks.”

The update is the clearest timeline Dončić has publicly shared since injuring his left hamstring. He did say he has progressed to on-court running work, but he has not yet been cleared for contact.

After the injury, Dončić traveled to Spain to undergo four different PRP (platelet-rich plasma) treatments in an attempt to accelerate his recovery.

He said he’s not targeting a specific game for his return.

“I’m just in the process,” Dončić said. “I’m working every day. I feel better every day. Like I said, in the beginning, they say eight weeks. So, we just go from there.”