The Los Angeles Lakers have been dealt a bad hand in the injury department this week.
First, Luka Doncic suffered a hamstring injury that will sideline him for the rest of the regular season and possibly longer. Then, Austin Reaves suffered a season-ending oblique injury.
LeBron James described his reaction to the injuries after the Lakers’ loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
“It was a shot to the heart and the chest and the mainframe with Luka,” James told reporters. “…I woke up from my nap yesterday and saw that [Reaves] news and was like, ‘S–t.'”
The injury news is especially devastating for the Lakers, given how well they’ve played recently. Los Angeles had won 16 of its last 18 games before Doncic’s injury and was looking like a legitimate playoff contender.
Doncic has been especially outstanding, putting up 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists across the month of March.
Doncic’s injury isn’t the end of the world since the Lakers have already secured a playoff spot, but if he were to miss any of the postseason, it’s hard to imagine Los Angeles would be able to make it out of the first round.
Doncic reportedly will travel to Europe this week to receive specialized medical treatment in an effort to get back on the court as soon as possible.
The Lakers will be in a much better position in the playoffs if Doncic can return, but being without Reaves is still a major blow. Reaves had a career year in 2025-26, putting up 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Los Angeles is currently in third place in the West, but it could drop to as far as the sixth seed in the final week since things are so close. That means that the 41-year-old James will have to return to being the No. 1 option to lead the Lakers in a tough stretch against the Thunder, Warriors, Suns and Jazz.
