Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić told Sports Illustrated he regrets staying in an April 2 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after feeling a tweak in his left hamstring in the second quarter, saying he should have taken himself out. It was the first time Dončić publicly acknowledged he wishes he had handled the moment differently, according to the account.
Dončić says he regrets playing through hamstring injury that ended his season
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić told Sports Illustrated he regrets staying in an April 2 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after feeling a tweak in his left hamstring in the second quarter, saying he should have taken himself out. It was the first time Dončić publicly acknowledged he wishes he had handled the moment differently, according to the account.
Dončić felt the tweak in his left hamstring in the second quarter, the source states. The Lakers trailed by 31 points at halftime, and he continued to play. Five minutes into the third quarter the pain worsened, Dončić grabbed at his left hamstring again and he was taken out of the game. An MRI later revealed a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and he missed the final five games of the season and was sidelined for the entire postseason.
Entering that game, the Lakers were on a 16-2 run and Dončić had averaged 37.5 points, 8 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game in March, according to the source, which describes the Thunder as the reigning NBA champions. The source states the Lakers lost their regular-season games against the Thunder by an average of 29.3 points.
Without Dončić, the Lakers took a 3-0 lead against the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, according to the source, which also states that Austin Reaves suffered a Grade 2 oblique strain against the Thunder on April 2. The source states LeBron James carried the team past the Rockets in the first round and that Los Angeles was swept out of the playoffs in the second round by the Thunder. James left for the 76ers in free agency and the Lakers added nine new players last offseason, the source states.
The source describes the episode as having ended the Lakers' championship hopes and cut short Dončić's MVP campaign, and says the outcome of the season cannot be known had he come out of the game earlier. It states that Lakers coach JJ Redick could have refused to put Dončić back in and that the training staff could have intervened, characterizing those as possibilities raised in hindsight.
- The source does not state whether the Lakers, head coach JJ Redick or the training staff were asked for comment or responded.
- The source does not state when Dončić made the remarks to Sports Illustrated or when they were published.
- The source does not state what the coaching staff or medical staff advised about Dončić's hamstring before he returned to the game.
- The source does not state the year of the season in which the April 2 game took place beyond describing it as last season.
- The source does not state how many games Dončić played in the postseason or any statistics from the Lakers' playoff series.
Read the original at New York Post