The NBA is weighing a new ‘3-2-1’ draft lottery aimed at punishing tanking but critics warn it could keep bad teams stuck at the bottom.
The absence of Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic hasn’t affected the team so far in their first-round Western Conference matchup against the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers took the first three games of the series, but have dropped the last two, including a 99-93 loss in Game 5.
The Rockets are looking to become the first NBA team to force a Game 7 since the Boston Celtics in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat. Each of the three previous NBA teams that forced a series finale down 0-3 lost Game 7.
Doncic was injured on April 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, and hasn’t played since.
Should the Lakers advance, their opponent will be the Thunder, who beat Los Angeles in all four regular-season meetings, winning by an average of 22 points per game. Doncic is not expected to be ready for the start of that series because of the injury.