By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward Jalen Williams have been ruled out of Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday night with left hamstring injuries.
The teams notified the league on the injury reports they turned in on Monday.
Doncic was injured in Oklahoma City about a month ago and hasn’t played since. The league scoring champion averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists in the regular season.
Lakers coach JJ Redick hadn’t said if or when Doncic could return from an injury that sometimes requires two months of recovery. Doncic shot 3-pointers with his teammates Monday while they wrapped up a workout before their flight to Oklahoma City.
Williams, a 2025 All-Star, missed the last two games of the first-round series against Phoenix with a left hamstring injury. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault did not declare him ready for a return, saying Monday only that Williams is progressing.
Williams averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists in an injury-plagued regular season. He averaged 20.5 points on 61.5% shooting from the field through Oklahoma City’s first two playoff games before the injury during the third quarter of Game 2. Ajay Mitchell entered the starting lineup and helped the Thunder sweep the series.
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AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
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