Luka Doncic to return from Spain on Friday, but Game 1 status remains unclear

Luka Doncic is set to return to Los Angeles on Friday after spending the past week in Spain, where he received multiple injections for a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. However, his status for the start of the NBA playoffs remains unclear.

The Los Angeles Lakers, the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference, will host the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their first-round series on Saturday. The franchise has not offered a firm timetable for Doncic’s return, only ruling him out for the rest of the regular season after the injury suffered on April 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Without Doncic and Austin Reaves, who is also sidelined with a Grade 2 left oblique strain, the Lakers finished the season 3-2. LeBron James helped carry the team down the stretch, while Doncic ended the year averaging 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game.