JJ Redick Explains Playing Luka Doncic Before Injury in Lakers' Blowout Loss to Thunder

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić appeared to be grabbing his hamstring before the start of the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, but he proceeded to play in the third quarter.

Dončić then suffered a left hamstring injury that forced him to exit.

After the game, head coach JJ Redick explained his decision to keep Dončić in the game in the second half despite being in some pain.

"We checked him out. He got work done, but he was cleared," Redick told reporters. "We're not gonna put a player at risk. Those things happen."

Redick added that the coaching staff considered keeping Dončić and Austin Reaves out of the game in the second half after they took some blows in the first half.

"It was discussed at halftime. Thought we'd give those guys about six minutes and if we didn't cut into the lead, we were gonna pull them," Redick said. "Obviously, it was around that time, I don't remember the exact time, [the injury] happened."

Redick's decision to keep Dončić in the game in the second half is a bit perplexing, considering the Lakers trailed 82-51 heading into the third quarter. Los Angeles is still fighting for playoff positioning, so that could be one argument in favor of playing the stars despite the blowout.

Redick confirmed after the game that Dončić would undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the severity of the injury, and the Lakers can only hope it's nothing major with five games to go in the regular season.

It's fair to say that the Lakers' hopes of a deep playoff run hinge almost entirely on Dončić's health. The MVP candidate is putting up 33.8 points, 8.3 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game.

He has been especially dominant as of late, putting up 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game over the month of March, leading the Lakers on a surge that put them inside the top three in the West.

Los Angeles was hoping to carry Dončić and the team's strong play into the postseason, but that is now in doubt.

If Dončić is looking at an extended recovery time, the pressure will be on for Reaves and LeBron James. While those two have been solid this year, the Lakers are a completely different team without Dončić.

The Lakers have the next two days off before a clash with Dončić's former team, the Dallas Mavericks, on Sunday. Whether he'll be ready to go for that game will likely be revealed after his MRI.