DALLAS — Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic will be sidelined at least through the end of the regular season with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, the team announced Friday.

Doncic underwent an MRI in Dallas on Friday afternoon that revealed the extent of the strain, which he suffered in the third quarter of the Lakers’ 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.

A Grade 2 strain typically involves a monthlong recovery, but the Lakers did not provide a timetable for Doncic’s return beyond missing the final five regular-season games. The first round of the NBA playoffs begins April 18.

While the injury will prevent Doncic from reaching the 65-game threshold needed to be eligible for end-of-season awards, his agent, Bill Duffy of WME Basketball, told ESPN’s Shams Charania that he will apply for an “Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge” on behalf of his client.

“This season, Luka Doncic has performed at a historic level, leading the league in scoring, carrying the Lakers to third place in the Western Conference and placing himself in the middle of one of the most tightly contested MVP races in memory. To ensure that Luka’s incredible accomplishments this season are rightly honored and he can be considered for the league’s end-of-season awards, we intend to apply for an ‘Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge’ to the 65-game rule,” Duffy said in a statement to ESPN.

“Luka missed two games this season for the birth of his second child in Slovenia. His daughter was born on Dec. 4, on another continent, and yet he was back in the United States competing with his team on Dec. 6. Luka has gone to great lengths to show up for his team and this league this season. His record-breaking season deserves to be noted in the history books, despite last night’s unfortunate injury and other extraordinary circumstances. We look forward to working with the NBAPA and the league office to ensure a fair outcome in this matter.”

In ESPN’s third and final NBA MVP straw poll of 2025-26, which polled 100 NBA media members, Doncic placed a distant fourth behind runaway favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs‘ Victor Wembanyama and the Denver Nuggets‘ Nikola Jokic.

Doncic’s first full regular season with the Lakers will end with the eight-year veteran leading the league with 33.5 points, along with 8.3 assists (third in the NBA), 7.7 rebounds (second among guards) and 1.6 steals (sixth in the league) in 64 appearances.

The Lakers, currently No. 3 in the Western Conference, have already clinched a playoff spot and have a road game against the Dallas Mavericks, home game against the Thunder, road game against the Golden State Warriors and home games against the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz remaining on their schedule.

L.A. is one game ahead of No. 4 Denver, 2½ games ahead of the No. 5 Houston Rockets and 3½ games ahead of the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers own the tiebreaker against those three teams, too, by winning the season series against each.

More than four decades ago, Eliot Tatelman worked with his father at a New England furniture store. He likely never expected that, years later, a bold bet tied to the 2007 World Series run by the Boston Red Sox would land him on a championship float alongside the franchise’s biggest stars.

As the parade wound through Boston’s streets, some attendees held signs that said “Thanks for the free furniture,” a nod to the retailer’s promotion. 

Now, Tatelman’s Jordan’s Furniture is revisiting the idea with a similar promotion, betting on how far UConn’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will advance in this year’s NCAA Division I tournaments. 

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The retailer promised refunds totaling up to roughly $50 million if both Huskies teams reach — and then lose — their respective national title games. Eligible furniture must have been purchased from Jordan’s Furniture between Jan. 20 and March 1, according to the company’s website.

2026 NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SELECTIONS REVEALED

Tatelman served as the furniture retailer’s CEO, but the family-run business’s day-to-day operations continue to be overseen by his children.

The UConn women’s team faces South Carolina Friday at 7 p.m. ET in Phoenix, while the men’s team meets Illinois Saturday in Indianapolis.

The UConn Huskies are awarded the Fort Worth Regional trophy after their win against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Dickies Arena March 29, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Chris Jones/Imagn Images)

“We have insurance,” Tatelman told USA Today Sports. “We want them to win.”

There are two Jordan’s Furniture locations in Storrs, Connecticut.

Braylon Mullins (24) celebrates with Jayden Ross (23) and Malachi Smith (0) of the UConn Huskies after Mullins shot the game-winning 3-point basket during the second half against the Duke Blue Devils in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena March 29, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Tatelman reflected on the Red Sox promotion, recalling the bold offer that helped define the campaign.

“We said, ‘Come into Jordan’s and buy a sofa, a bed, a mattress, a dining room table,’” he said. “And if the Red Sox win the World Series, it’ll all be free.’”

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The Red Sox’s four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 World Series ended up costing the furniture company roughly $35 million. Tatelman said he “bought insurance for it.”

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INDIANAPOLIS — Head coach Tommy Lloyd has agreed to a new deal with Arizona, he announced on Friday.

“I’m staying at Arizona,” he said at a Friday news conference.

After days of ambiguous statements about his future when being asked about the North Carolina job opening, Lloyd agreed to a new five-year deal with the school.

“Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it’s a special place, that always comes from the bottom of my heart,” Lloyd said.

In a reference to rumored phone calls from Michael Jordan to Lloyd about the Carolina job — which Lloyd said never happened — the 51-year-old expressed his pride in staying in Tucson.

“I made a decision that my Michael Jordan is Steve Kerr, and I’m proud to be an Arizona Wildcat,” he said.

Per ESPN sources, Arizona’s new deal with Lloyd will make him one of the five highest-paid coaches in college basketball, as he’ll start in 2026-27 at nearly $7.2 million and will average $7.5 million over the life of the deal.

The deal also includes significant bonuses and additional commitment to staff salary pool. The buyout is expected to remain significant both ways, as the deal is fully guaranteed, and the buyout to leave for another job, which was $9 million under the old deal, is expected to remain high.

“To me it’s a holistic approach,” Lloyd said. “There’s not one thing anymore. Arizona basketball needs to become a locomotive where everything surrounding it is pushing it forward.”

Lloyd expressed his appreciation of both athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois and president Suresh Garimella on their work agreeing to the deal and projecting the future for Arizona basketball.

“Tommy Lloyd is the best coach in college basketball, and we have a strong conviction in the future of Arizona Basketball under his leadership,” Reed-Francois said in a statement. “Our program’s success this season — winning championships, competing on the sport’s biggest stage and excelling academically — is a testament to the standard that he and his staff have established. He has recruited and developed student-athletes of character who make a positive impact on our team, our campus and our community. Tommy has strengthened our foundation while honoring the tradition that makes Arizona Basketball one of the premier programs in the country, and we are thrilled that he will continue to lead this program at the highest level for years to come.”

“Coach Lloyd has led our men’s basketball program with clarity of purpose and a commitment to excellence,” Garimella said in statement. “This past season is among the finest in Arizona Athletics history, reflecting the culture he has built and the consistency of the program. He has reestablished Arizona Basketball as one of the nation’s best programs and leads a team that is unified and performing at the highest levels on the court and in the classroom. I am very pleased that we have come to an agreement extending his contract and his leadership. We look forward to continued success.”

Arizona’s players were excited for their head coach.

“I know Coach Lloyd was going to make the best decision for himself and his career,” senior guard Jaden Bradley said. “Excited that he signed back with Arizona. I know the fan base is excited as well, but I know he’s definitely focused on what’s going on here and just happy for him and his extension.”

“Super happy for Coach,” freshman forward Koa Peat said. “Tucson loves him. He loves Tucson … He’s one of the best coaches in the country and he depends on Arizona. That’s super special for us, for sure.”

North Carolina’s pursuit of Lloyd had lingered as a storyline over the Final Four, with Lloyd declining to outrightly dismiss the Tar Heels’ interest on multiple occasions.

“I’m a simple guy. I’m kind of just one thing at a time. I’m not a multitasker,” Lloyd said Thursday at his pregame news conference when he was asked about the vacancy. “You can ask my wife. So, I’m 100% locked in on Arizona basketball right now, and I’m excited to see what this team can do. I have a real strong belief in this team and this team deserves my full attention, so that’s what I’m giving.”

After Arizona’s win over Purdue last weekend, as part of a longer answer about the significance of the Wildcats advancing to the Final Four, Lloyd said, “Arizona is going to have another good coach after me. I promise you.”

When asked about those statements on Tuesday, Lloyd reiterated his point.

“It’s absolutely true,” he said. “There’s gonna be another coach. This is a great program. I didn’t say when.

“People are going to speculate all they want. Guys, this team has my full focus. Nothing, nothing — I promise you, nothing — is knocking me off that path.”

Since arriving at Arizona in 2021, Lloyd has guided the Wildcats to three regular-season conference championships, two in the Pac-12 and this year’s Big 12 title. They’ve earned a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in four of their five NCAA tournament appearances, advancing to the Sweet 16 or further four times.

Arizona swept both the Big 12 regular-season and conference tournament championships this season, and advanced to the program’s first Final Four since 2001.

He’s 148-35 in five seasons with Arizona.

Lloyd is 148-35 in five seasons with Arizona. His 148 wins are the most in NCAA history for a head coach in his first five seasons.

Prior to taking over at Arizona, Lloyd had been at Gonzaga since 2000, serving as an assistant coach under Mark Few for 20 seasons. The Bulldogs reached the NCAA tournament in every season that Lloyd was in the program, where he established himself as the best international recruiter and one of the premier assistant coaches in college basketball.

Lloyd and top-seeded Arizona will take on Michigan in Saturday’s Final Four.

ESPN’s Myron Medcalf contributed to this report.