Luka Doncic says being injured during Lakers' playoff run has been 'very frustrating'

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Luka Doncic said Wednesday he was given platelet-rich plasma injections in Spain as the Los Angeles Lakers star tries to speed up his eight-week timeline for returning from the hamstring injury that has sidelined him since early April.

“I went to Spain to do PRP,” the NBA scoring champion told reporters as the Lakers prepare to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals. “Everybody knows that it's one of the best countries to do that. Obviously, you know, we talked with the Lakers doctors, so everybody agreed for me to go there.”

Each injection required four days of rest in between, resulting in an extended stay in Spain, he said.

“I know and trust lots of people in Spain that I used to work with before,” he said. “I needed four days in between every shot. I did it four times, so that’s why I stayed longer.”

Doncic was injured during the third quarter of a loss to Oklahoma City. on April 2. The Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs, with 41-year-old LeBron James taking up much of the scoring slack.

The Lakers lost to the top-seeded Thunder 108-90 in Game 1 on Tuesday. If Doncic can't speed up his recovery timeline, he would miss the entire series and part of the conference finals, should the Lakers advance.

Doncic said he’s been running but has yet to reintroduce contact. He said it has been hard to watch his team while knowing he can't participate.

“It's very frustrating. I don't think people understand how frustrating it is,” he said. “All I want to do is play basketball, especially this time. It's the best time to play basketball. It's very frustrating to see what my team is doing. I'm very proud of them, but it's been very tough to watch.”

The six-time All-Star also understands that coming back too soon would put him at risk.

“It's a tough one for me. I've come back from injuries too soon before, and it wasn't the best result,” he said. “This is the first time I have a hamstring injury. It's not the same like other injuries. You have to be very careful. I'm doing everything to come back.”

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