Luka's playoff availability
Reports say Luka Dončić is not expected to be ready for Game 1 of the Lakers’ first‑round series against the Houston Rockets, and with both Dončić and Austin Reaves injured the Lakers signed a guard to add depth. ( ). Separately, with Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander ruled out of Oklahoma City’s finale, Dončić is now set to lead the NBA in both scoring and steals for the 2025–26 season. (heavy.com).
Luka Dončić is not expected to be ready for Game 1 when the Los Angeles Lakers open their first-round series against the Houston Rockets on Saturday, April 18. (heavy.com) The National Basketball Association’s playoff bracket lists Los Angeles as the West’s No. 4 seed against No. 5 Houston, with Game 1 set for 8:30 p.m. Eastern on April 18 in Los Angeles. (nba.com) Dončić has been out with a hamstring injury, and Austin Reaves has been sidelined with an oblique injury that ESPN’s recap of the regular-season finale said will “almost certainly” keep both of the Lakers’ top two scorers out for the start of the postseason. (espn.com) With both guards hurt, the Lakers moved on Sunday to promote Nick Smith Jr. from a two-way deal to a new two-year contract, according to Shams Charania’s report cited by ClutchPoints and Yahoo Sports. (sports.yahoo.com) That gives Coach JJ Redick another ballhandler for a series that opens six days after Los Angeles finished the regular season 53-29 with a 131-107 win over the Utah Jazz. (espn.com) The timing is sharper because Dončić closed the regular season as the league’s leading scorer at 33.5 points per game, according to ESPN’s player page, while a separate report said he is also set to finish first in steals after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was ruled out of Oklahoma City’s finale. (espn.com) (heavy.com) ESPN’s listing for Gilgeous-Alexander said on April 13 that the Thunder guard was ruled out for Sunday’s regular-season finale against Phoenix, removing his last chance to change the season-leader races. (espn.com) The Lakers spent the final week of the regular season trying to hold position without Dončić and Reaves, and Redick said after Sunday’s win that his team had to keep building chemistry and continuity instead of watching other results. (espn.com) So the Lakers head into Houston’s series with a split picture: their best perimeter scorer led the National Basketball Association in major categories this season, but the first playoff game is arriving before his recovery does. (heavy.com 1) (heavy.com 2)
