The Los Angeles Lakers can close out the Houston Rockets Wednesday, as Luka Dončić got a major second-round return boost. A development Tuesday in Los Angeles County Family Court indicates Dončić expects to be back on the floor soon, potentially as early as the second round of the NBA playoffs, according to a report by the California Post.
Dončić has been sidelined since April 2 with a Grade 2 hamstring strain suffered during a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has not appeared in a single game of the Lakers’ first-round series against Houston, yet Los Angeles has built a commanding 3-1 lead heading into Wednesday’s potential closeout at home.
Now a new court filing has caught the attention of NBA observers — not for the custody dispute itself, but for what it may reveal about Dončić’s playoff return timeline.
Dončić Court Filing Points Toward Second-Round Return Date
Dončić and his attorney, celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser, agreed to push a hearing in his child custody battle with former fiancée Anamaria Goltes from its original May 14 date to Aug. 14, according to The California Post‘s Edward Lewis. One detail that jumped out to Lakers fans: Every alternative date Dončić’s camp approved was June 18 or later.
The NBA Finals can run as late as a potential Game 7 on June 19. In other words, Dončić’s legal team signed off exclusively on dates that fall at the end of, or after, the entire postseason. A player who expected no deep playoff run would have little reason to block off May entirely.
“Slovenia is the appropriate forum for adjudication of this dispute,” Wasser wrote in court documents cited by Daily Mail reporter Alex Raskin, arguing that neither Goltes nor the couple’s two daughters are California residents. Wasser also characterized Goltes’ petition for child support in California as a deliberate attempt to take advantage of the state’s well-known payment standards.
The court landed on Aug. 14 as the rescheduled date. That hearing is expected to address Dončić’s motion to dismiss Goltes’ petition entirely.
Luka Dončić Injury Timeline: What It Means for Lakers
Before the hamstring gave out, Dončić was the NBA’s leading scorer at 33.5 points per game, adding 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds, numbers that had him firmly inside the MVP conversation. His April 2 exit hit hard for a Lakers team that had built its identity around him following the blockbuster trade that sent Anthony Davis to Dallas.
Dončić traveled to Madrid, Spain, where he played professionally as a teenager, to begin a specialized rehabilitation program before flying to Ljubljana, Slovenia, to spend time with his daughters Gabriela and Olivia, according to a report by the Spanish sports media outlet Marca.
The Lakers have not issued a firm return timetable. But the combination of a 3-1 series lead over Houston, a Rockets roster facing its own injury concerns with Kevin Durant listed as questionable for Game 5 with an ankle issue, and now a court calendar that keeps Dončić available throughout May has given Los Angeles fresh momentum heading into Wednesday night.
If the Lakers advance, the question of when Dončić suits up shifts from hopeful speculation to active countdown. His latest court calendar move suggests he expects to be part of it.
Lakers Luka Doncic Clears Major Hurdle Toward Round 2 Return Date