Slovenian star Luka Doncic is clearly itching to return to basketball as he continues rehabbing his injured hamstring. During the Los Angeles Lakers’ 98-78 win over the Houston Rockets in Friday’s Game 6, Doncic made a one-handed trick shot from the sidelines just as the halftime buzzer sounded.
The NBA posted a video of Doncic’s underhanded shot with an apt caption:
“Luka magic, even while out!”
The fact that the Lakers took a commanding 49-31 lead into the break probably buoyed Doncic’s spirits, as the six-time All-Star was all smiles after making the shot.
Luka Doncic and Trick Shots
Doncic has a history of making insane trick shots during pre-game warm-up routines. In April 2024, before a game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Rockets, he made a shot that bounced off the Toyota Center’s video board and swished through the net.
While Doncic’s sorcery may shock fans who don’t follow him regularly, his teammates and coaches have witnessed his trick shots for years. Doncic told The Athletic in 2024 that he spontaneously comes up with new trick shots during his pregame routines, even if he second-guesses himself about their effectiveness.
“I like to have fun. So sometimes, I just try some new stuff,” Doncic had said.
Doncic’s former teammate Dorian Finney-Smith provided further insight.
“S—, before practice even start, he probably threw every ball on the rack at the rim from wherever the rack at,” Finney-Smith said of Doncic back in 2024.
“He gon’ grab all the balls and probably gonna launch ’em 90 feet to try to make ’em.”
Luka Doncic Injury Update
Unfortunately for the Lakers, Doncic’s wizardry won’t be on display when they start their semifinals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
During the Lakers’ Game 6 win over the Rockets, NBA on Prime’s Casidy Hubbarth provided a critical Luka Doncic injury update.
“No timeline,” she said of when Doncic could return.
“There has been some progress on the court,” she added, He’s now doing some movement work in drills, getting up shots, but it is controlled.
“He hasn’t advanced to one-on-one or full-contact work yet. He’s not into any scrimmages, so it’s a little more than just spot shooting, but still a step away from anything live.”
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst also ruled out an imminent Luka Doncic return.
“He’s not close,” Windhorst told “SC with SVP” on Friday night.
“Most likely you’re not gonna see Luka Doncic at the front end of this series, maybe at least for another week to 10 days on the minimum. So the Lakers are gonna have to face reality, they’re gonna have to do it without (him).”
Luka Doncic averaged 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds in his first full season with the Lakers. He went down with a hamstring injury just two weeks before the end of the regular season, leaving the Lakers to enter the playoffs without his services. Amazingly, the Lakers beat the Rockets 4-2 despite being without Doncic and not having Austin Reaves (oblique injury) for the first four games of the series.
NBA Makes Luka Doncic Announcement During Lakers vs Rockets Game 6