Luka Doncic sat in civvies as his Los Angeles Lakers rallied to a Game 1 victory over the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday evening.
Hours before tipoff, the ailing Lakers finally caught a break in the form of Rockets star Kevin Durant being ruled out with a knee injury.
Suddenly, it gave the home team more hope it could take the first game of the series and therefore, extend the series at least one more game as the return of Doncic looms larger.
After two weeks spent in dejection following injuries to their stars, the Lakers finally caught a break. Now can they use this extra assistance well enough to either win this series or extend it long enough for Doncic to get back? If the 37-year-old Rockets star is out again in Game 2, a lot will change in favor of L.A.
Doncic, 27, returned to Los Angeles and rejoined the Lakers earlier this week after spending some time overseas to receive specialized treatment on his Grade 2 hamstring strain.
If he returns sooner than expected, well then that perhaps means whatever magic he discovered in Spain was actually for real.
When Will Luka Doncic Return?
It has been 17 days since Doncic suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain.
The Lakers star incurred the injury April 2 in the third quarter of a blowout game against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. While attempting to accelerate to the basket, Doncic dropped the basketball and immediately grabbed at the backside of his leg as play continued. There was a pointed sense that Doncic had just sustained a significant injury.
GettyOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – APRIL 02: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a play during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center on April 2, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Doncic may have already been asking too much from his body. He was grimacing earlier in the game and was seen brushing the backside of his leg on multiple plays. Apparently there was agreement between Doncic and the Lakers that there wasn’t anything to be concerned about. Then the injury happened.
Whether the team was right or wrong to continue playing Doncic is now beside the point. The Lakers need their superstar back as soon as possible.
According to the International Business Times, Doncic, though continuing to progress, has still not resumed running. There is no confirmed return date as of now, but the source suggests that Doncic’s return is around the corner.
“As of Sunday, April 19, Doncic has not resumed running and continues rehabilitation, with no firm return date set,” the Times wrote. “Multiple reports point to a target around May 1, roughly four weeks after the non-contact injury occurred during a blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. That timeline would place his possible debut near the middle or end of the Lakers’ first-round series against the Houston Rockets, assuming Los Angeles advances.”
Considering this report, there seems to be far more optimism of a Doncic return than perhaps there was before.
Hamstring strains, whether Grade 1 or Grade 3, are notoriously tricky to solve. Multiple players around the NBA have dealt with this injury this season and none of them came back sooner than later.
Perhaps Doncic is a fast healer. Perhaps his previous experiences with hamstring trouble allows him to better treat the injury.
All L.A. can hope is to extend the series as long as possible. The first round schedule can help facilitate Doncic’s return in the first round considering Game 5 won’t be played until April 29 — nearly a full month after Doncic sustained the injury in Oklahoma City.
L.A. Remains Relatively Mum on Star’s Return
When asked multiple times this week for an update on Doncic, head coach JJ Redick maintained his tone.
There is no new update on Doncic. Redick even said there won’t be anything to report on Doncic until sometime next week.
Now that Doncic is back in Los Angeles, it is possible he’ll undergo injury reevaluation as soon as Monday, April 20 (tomorrow).
The unofficial injury timeline, according to multiple sources, is 3-6 weeks. Doncic is about to enter the third week. If his recovery is headed for the best-case scenario, he could even return this week. But considering it’s a hamstring injury and that the Lakers won Game 1, meaning the series will go at least five games, L.A. will likely err on the side of caution as much as possible.
Game 2 between the Lakers and Rockets is set for Tuesday evening in Los Angeles.
Lakers Receive Huge Luka Doncic Return Update After Game 1 Win vs Rockets