Lakers’ scoring machine heads to LA following Spain stint as Yankee Scores previews playoff push ahead of Rockets showdown.

Despite the fact that Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers will not participate in the start of the NBA playoffs this weekend, he will still accompany the team.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, sources indicate that Doncic is returning to Los Angeles on Friday after visiting Spain during the last week of his life. He received several injections for Grade 2 strain in the left hamstrings.

The fourth-seeded Lakers play the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round playoff series on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

No Return Date Yet

Doncic will not be able to make a return date since the Lakers did not set one after the injury in the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2. However, it is safe to assume that he needs about a month to fully recover from a Grade 2 hamstrings strain.

The Lakers finished the season with a 3-2 win streak without Doncic and Austin Reaves. The latter also sustained a Grade 2 left oblique strain during the game and will remain inactive until further notice.

Life Without Doncic

LeBron James has been awarded the Western Conference Player of the Week title for the final week of the season due to an average score of 24.0 points, 9.7 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per game. He has helped the team achieve a winning streak even without Doncic and Reaves.

Doncic ends up having an impressive average of 33.5 points (league-best), 8.3 assists, and 7.7 rebounds per game this year. Unfortunately, he only participated in 64 games, failing to reach the 65-game mark required by the regular-season awards committee. His agent, Bill Duffy of WME, has requested an exemption based on special circumstances for missing two December games in order to fly to Slovenia for his daughter’s birth.