Lakers star Luka Doncic is expected to return to Los Angeles on Friday after undergoing specialized treatment in Europe for a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, according to ESPN.
The 27-year-old sustained the injury during a 139-96 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2, and an MRI the following day confirmed the Grade 2 strain.
A typical Grade 2 hamstring strain requires approximately four weeks of recovery, which would sideline the league's leading scorer (33.5 points per game) for potentially the entire first round of the playoffs.
The No. 4 seed Lakers are scheduled to open their first-round series against the No. 5 seed Houston Rockets on Saturday without their superstar.
