The Los Angeles Lakers have had a great start to the NBA playoffs. They are leading the Houston Rockets 3-1 in their Western Conference first-round series.
The Lakers are successful even after the absence of their two star players, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic. Both have missed out on these playoffs because of injuries.
Concic has been out of action since April 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of a hamstring injury. After the injury, he was ruled out for the remaining first round.
In the regular season, Luka played 64 games and was leading the league in points per game with 33.5, along with 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.6 steals.
The Lakers have done great without Doncic in the playoffs. They won their first three games of the series against the Rockets before losing in Game 4.
LeBron James has been the biggest factor in these games as he averaged 21.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game in the first round.
While Doncic’s absence hasn’t hindered their progress in the first round, the Lakers would want him to get back on his feet quickly if they want to go past Houston in the playoffs.
An NBA insider, Shams Charania, provided an update on Luka Doncic’s injury and status for the first round.
Here is what Charania said, “I’m told it is a slow path on his recovery.”
“If the Lakers do advance in this series and play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the next round, the expectation is that Luka Doncic will be out to start that series. There’s still no clarity on a timeline.”
Before they play against the defending champions, the Thunder in the second round, they would have to get past the Rockets. Game 5 against the Houston Rockets will begin shortly, and it remains to be seen whether the Lakers will continue to perform better without Doncic.
