Luka (hamstring) set for MRI after exiting loss

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic exited Thursday's 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder early because of a strained left hamstring and was ruled out.

Doncic will undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the extent of the injury, coach JJ Redick said after the game.

"At this point, at this juncture of the season, it's the last thing you want to see," LeBron James said. "When you have an MVP candidate on your team, the last thing you want to see is somebody go down with a hamstring injury. ... So, pray for the best, for sure, and a speedy recovery."

Doncic first appeared to tweak the hamstring late in the first half and then tweaked it again midway through the third quarter. He planted his left leg while dribbling against the Thunder's Jalen Williams when his hamstring seized, causing him to double over in pain and then lie down on the baseline with his hands covering his face when L.A. called timeout.

After teammates surrounded him to check on him, Doncic was able to walk to the Lakers' locker room on his own, albeit gingerly, with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter and L.A. trailing 90-58. He hung his head on his way off the court and pulled at the collar of his jersey, as if he were going to tear it off in frustration.

Doncic pulled a leg sleeve over his left hamstring before limping out of the visitor's locker room to head to the team bus taking the Lakers to the airport for their postgame flight to Dallas. He did not speak to reporters.

Redick said Doncic received treatment on the hamstring at halftime and received approval from the team medical staff to stay in the game.

"We checked him out," Redick said. "He got work done. He was cleared. I mean, again, we're not going to put a player at risk."

Doncic missed four games in February leading up to All-Star weekend because of a left hamstring strain and made only a token appearance in the All-Star Game while still rehabbing the injury.

Thursday's injury ended what was already a nightmarish performance by Doncic, as he checked out with 12 points on 3-for-10 shooting (1-for-7 from 3), 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 turnovers.

The Lakers were outscored by 25 in the 26 minutes Doncic was on the court.

After a dream March during which the Lakers went 15-2 and Doncic was named Western Conference Player of the Month for averaging 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game, the start to April was a major disappointment on several levels for L.A.

In what was billed as a late-season game that could sway MVP voters still deciding where to place Doncic and the reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on their ballots, Gilgeous-Alexander was dominant, putting up 28 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and just 1 turnover while playing the first three quarters.

Depending on how much time Doncic has to miss going forward, Thursday might have cost him not only a shot at his first MVP, but even his eligibility for the award at all. The game was his 64th of the season, and players must play in 65 to qualify for season awards. The Lakers have five games remaining.

There is an exception for players who reach 62 games and play at least 85% of their team's games at the time of a season-ending injury, but that will not apply to Doncic. He has played in 64 of the Lakers' 77 games, which is only 83%.

Furthermore, Doncic's hamstring injury would have to qualify as a "season-ending injury" as the CBA defines it. That means it would need to be an injury that, in the opinion of a physician jointly selected by the NBA and Players Association, makes it substantially more likely than not that the player would be unable to play through May 31 following the date of his injury. Otherwise, it would simply be an injury that happens to coincide with the end of the regular season, which is what appears to be the case with Doncic right now.

Meanwhile, the Lakers' potential as title contenders in the upcoming playoffs was called into question with a no-show against the defending NBA champs.

"They beat the s--- out of us," said Austin Reaves, who committed four of the Lakers' 18 turnovers in the first quarter as the Thunder built a 44-21 lead. "They're the defending champs [but] we've got to, you know, be better."

L.A. (50-27) is No. 3 in the Western Conference, one game ahead of the No. 4 Denver Nuggets, 2 ½ games ahead of the No. 5 Houston Rockets and 3 ½ games ahead of the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers own the tiebreaker against those three teams, too, by winning the season series against each of them.

Even if Doncic misses time and the Lakers struggle -- they are 7-6 without him this season -- they have already clinched a playoff berth, which will earn Doncic an extra week for rest and rehabilitation between the end of the regular season and the start of the postseason while the play-in tournament is held.

"There's never a time to get comfortable in this league," James said. "The only thing we do know is that we won't be in the play-in, so we have that week. But health is wealth."

James was asked whether Thursday's debacle would challenge the Lakers' resolve, after he called them a "tight-knit group" just days before.

"Nothing has changed," James said. "We still will be [together]. Obviously we'll be tested with the head of the snake [missing]. ... But nothing is rattled. It's one game, it's part of the NBA season, it's the defending champions. We get it. We understand."