OKLAHOMA CITY — Luka Doncic remains without a clear return timeline for the Los Angeles Lakers as he continues recovering from a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, with a prominent sports medicine specialist sharply criticizing the platelet-rich plasma treatments the star pursued in Spain as a "failure of epic proportions."

Doncic, acquired by the Lakers in a blockbuster trade last year that sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks, has been sidelined since April 2 when he suffered the injury against these same Oklahoma City Thunder. Now more than five weeks later, the 27-year-old superstar told reporters Wednesday he has no firm date for his return despite four PRP injections and the original medical projection of an eight-week recovery.

"It's very frustrating," Doncic said at the team hotel in Oklahoma City. "I don't think people understand how frustrating it is. All I want to do is play basketball, especially this time."

The Slovenian star revealed he traveled to Spain shortly after the injury for specialized PRP therapy, undergoing four injections spaced four days apart. While he has begun running as part of his rehab, he has not progressed to full-contact drills or scrimmages. The Lakers, who advanced past the Houston Rockets without him in the first round, dropped Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals to the defending champion Thunder 108-90 on Tuesday.

Dr. Jesse Morse, a regenerative medicine specialist and sports doctor, delivered a scathing assessment of the treatment approach in a widely circulated video. He described PRP as relatively weak — rating it about a three out of ten in potency — and said it typically causes 10 to 14 days of inflammation per injection before any........

© International Business Times