Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic surprised fans by competing in the All-Star game despite missing the final four games of the regular season before the break with a hamstring injury. 

Luka, representing Team World, played only five minutes and five seconds in the first game, and did not play in the second game. He scored two points on 1-3 shooting. 

Speaking to the media after the game, Luka said his hamstring felt good, and he wanted to play because the fans voted him as one of the starters. 

Luka was first in fan voting among all players in the Western Conference. He was second in the media ranking and sixth among players, giving him the second-best score behind Nikola Jokic. 

Luka injured his hamstring on February 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers, playing just 15 minutes before leaving the game. He had missed just eight games prior to the injury, which cost him four more. 

In 42 games, Luka is putting up another strong season on the offensive end. 

He is averaging 32.8 points, the second-highest scoring average of his career, 8.6 assists, and 7.8 rebounds. 

He's shooting 47% from the field, but just 34% from three. His effective field goal percentage of 55%, the third-highest of his career, in part due to his free throw shooting. 

He's getting to the line 10.9 times per game, the highest number in his career, and he's shooting 78% at the stripe, making a career high 8.5 free throws per game. 

One area of concern is the turnovers, where he's averaging 4.3 per game, the third-highest mark of his career. 

The Los Angeles Lakers will return to the court on Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers. 

It is unclear whether Doncic will play, as teams don't have to release injury reports until the day before the game. Playing even five minutes in the All-Star game and having extra days of rest seem to be a positive sign for the Lakers and Doncic. 

They sit 33-21, good enough to put them in fifth in the Western Conference. They are grouped with the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Phoenix Suns, all of whom sit within three games of each other. 

The Lakers have the eighth-toughest strength of schedule remaining with games against the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics, and two games each against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets.