When will Luka Doncic return? Hamstring injury timeline and more about Lakers star's status vs. Thunder

The Los Angeles Lakers rolled past the Houston Rockets without Luka Doncic and largely without Austin Reaves, who was on the floor for only one win in the series. Repeating that success against the reigning champions is a much tougher task.

The Oklahoma City Thunder looked like the best team in the NBA in the first round, completing the only sweep of the playoffs so far behind star-studded performances from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren.

The Thunder aren't without injury concerns of their own, as they are missing Jalen Williams to start the series against the Lakers, but L.A. still doesn't have one of the NBA's best players as it tries to knock off Oklahoma City. 

Here's what you need to know about Doncic's injury and when he might return.

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What is Luka Doncic's injury?

Doncic suffered a hamstring injury in an April 2 loss to the Thunder and was initially ruled out indefinitely. He is reportedly dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. While Doncic was only ruled out for the remainder of the regular season at the time, he also missed the Lakers' entire first-round series against the Rockets and never appeared close to returning.

The hamstring injury has sidelined Doncic for more than a month, and he still isn't quite ready to return. Here's a closer look at how close he is to getting back on the court.

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When will Luka Doncic return?

Doncic will not be available at the start of the Lakers' series against the Thunder, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, and there appear to be a handful of hurdles he still has to clear to play in a game.

Doncic remains on a "slow path," Charania reported, adding that the Lakers star is "still not full-fledged running or [doing] full-contact workouts" as of Sunday, two days before the start of the series.

That doesn't mean Doncic can't get back on the court at some point during the series — Anthony Edwards is an example of a player who sped up his recovery process because of the importance of the games this time of year — but hamstring injuries are tricky, and Lakers don't appear ready to put him back in live game action before he clears key steps in his recovery.

Asked ahead of Game 2 whether he plans to return in Game 3 or 4, Doncic didn't give a direct answer but revealed doctors initially told him to expect an eight-week recovery period. "I’m just doing everything I can … Every day I’m doing things I’m supposed to do. … The doctor said eight weeks at the beginning of the first MRI. So I’m just going day by day and I feel better every day," Doncic told reporters.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported ahead of Game 2 that the Lakers still aren't expecting Doncic to play against the Thunder.

"I don’t think the Lakers have been under the delusion he’s coming back. I think they’ve gone into this series knowing he’s not going to be there," Windhorst said. "Everyday here in LA people are asking ‘when is Luka coming back’, you can push that aside."

In light of the recent news, ESPN's Evan McMenamin reported that Doncic doesn't believe it is likely he will be present during the second round. "Luka [is] saying without explicitly saying it, that you're not going to see him in the second round," said McMenamin.

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Thunder vs. Lakers schedule

Here's the full schedule for the series between the Thunder and Lakers:

* If necessary

The two teams have an extra off day between games only once, coming between Game 5 and Game 6 if both are necessary. The first four breaks between games will be only one day.

Doncic won't be ready for the start of the series, and the chances of him playing in the series are very much up in the air with the number of hurdles he reportedly still has to clear.