Luka Dončić is not going to play in game two of the series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Slovenian star, with a grade-two hamstring strain, is missing his eighth playoff game this season - and not one of the doctors around the team is willing to promise when he will be back on the floor.

The diagnosis is clear: Grade 2 hamstring strain. The doctors' initial assessment was eight weeks of recovery. Dončić has started running again, which is a sign of progress, but he hasn't yet been cleared for contact training. In plain English: a return to game action isn't close.

And the player? He has started taking matters into his own hands. "I went to Spain for PRP therapy," Dončić told reporters, referring to platelet-rich plasma injections. "Everyone knows it is one of the best countries for that. I consulted with the Lakers' doctors, everyone agreed I should go." When a player of this calibre travels abroad to speed up recovery, it means things in LA are not going to plan.

Head coach JJ Redick is non-committal: "It's simple. When he's ready to play, he'll play. It comes down to confidence - the same was true with Austin Reaves." A nice line that practically says nothing. Because in the NBA playoffs, no coach wants to rush the player - and no owner wants a series without his star.

The Lakers already lost game one in Oklahoma 108-90. Game two is again on the road. Without Dončić, without certain participation from Jaxson Vanderbilt (finger injury) and Luke Kennard (neck), the Lakers head into a game that is realistically no longer part of their finals plans. If the Slovenian does not come back soon, it isn't just this series he misses - he could miss the Western Conference run too, if LA somehow gets through.

And the message from the player is as clear as his shooting form: "I am trying every day. Day by day, every day I feel a little better." The Balkan fan knows what it means when an elite player starts speaking in physiotherapy phrases. It means - this season, maybe, is over.