Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic will not suit up on Thursday against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks. It will be his fourth-straight missed game due to a hamstring strain. It’s also the Lakers’ last game before the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend in LA.
Without Doncic, the Lakers have had a 1-2 record over the past three games. On Monday, the team faced a challenge against the Oklahoma City Thunder, despite not having the league MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and suffered a 119-110 loss.
On Tuesday, Doncic wasn’t the only key player who missed the game against the San Antonio Spurs. The team didn’t have LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart. Because of that, the Lakers had a tough 136-108 defeat.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported on Wednesday via X about Luka Doncic’s absence. McMenamin’s initial report about the star was that the hamstring strain is “mild.” However, Doncic hasn’t been cleared to play, as he remains on the Lakers’ bench.
Additionally, it could affect his sixth All-Star appearance. There was optimism that he would play on Sunday for the main event of the All-Star Weekend. McMenamin added that there’s “hope” that he’ll be healthy to play in front of the fans.
Luka Doncic wins Western Conference Player of the Month award
Luka Doncic had one of the best stretches of his Lakers stint last month, winning the Western Conference Player of the Month. In January, the five-time All-NBA appeared in 15 games out of the 16 games the team played. During that stretch, the NBA star averaged 34.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 9.1 assists on 39.2% shooting from deep.
Not once did Doncic score less than 20 points in January. He had four games scoring at least 20 points, two games with at least 40 points and nine games where he scored at least 30 points. The Slovenian star led the Lakers to a competitive 9-6 record.
In his career, Doncic has earned six Western Conference Player of the Month awards. He won the first five with the Mavericks.
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