Stephen A. Smith shares why he believes the Rockets will handle the Lakers in four or five games. (2:01)
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic might not be on the court for the start of the NBA playoffs this weekend, but he will be with his team.
Doncic is returning to Los Angeles on Friday after spending the last week in Spain, where he received multiple injections for his Grade 2 left hamstring strain, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Monday.
The No. 4-seeded Lakers host the No. 5-seeded Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
The Lakers have not provided a timeline for Doncic's return to the lineup other than ruling him out for the remainder of the regular season after he suffered the injury April 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. A Grade 2 hamstring strain typically involves a monthlong recovery period.
L.A. finished the season 3-2 without Doncic and Austin Reaves, who suffered a Grade 2 left oblique strain in the Thunder game and is also sidelined indefinitely.
LeBron James was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the final week of the season after averaging 24.0 points, 9.7 assists and 6.0 rebounds and guiding the Lakers to a winning record without their other two stars.
Doncic finished the season averaging a league-best 33.5 points along with 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game. He appeared in 64 games, failing to reach the 65-game threshold to be eligible for regular-season awards. His agent, Bill Duffy of WME, has petitioned the NBA to grant his client a "special circumstances" exception because Doncic missed two games in December to travel to Slovenia to be present for the birth of his daughter.
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