The Lakers will be shorthanded for Thursday’s matchup with Milwaukee, which is the second end of a back-to-back, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
In addition to LeBron James, who remains sidelined with a left groin strain, the Lakers will also be without superstar guard Luka Doncic, who continues to manage a sprained right ankle, sources tell McMenamin.
Austin Reaves will also be out tonight with his own right ankle sprain, the team announced, and Rui Hachimura will miss his 10th straight game due to left knee tendinopathy. Forwards Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle injury management) and Jarred Vanderbilt (right groin strain) are listed as doubtful.
As McMenamin notes, Thursday will mark Los Angeles’ sixth game in eight days, including a recent makeup contest against San Antonio from January that was postponed due to the L.A. wildfires. Other than trying to secure a favorable seed entering the playoffs, Vanderbilt said the team is focused on its health.
“Getting healthy,” Vanderbilt said. “S–t, that would be No. 1. Getting healthy. Getting rest with this stretch. And try to get some reps together. The main thing is getting healthy so we can try to keep building our chemistry.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- The acquisition of Doncic has transformed L.A.’s offense in numerous ways, as Jovan Buha of The Athletic details. The 25-year-old has been developing burgeoning chemistry with both Reaves and Jaxson Hayes. “He creates such havoc for teams’ defenses that 90 percent of the time people are blitzing him, as you can probably see, and he makes the right play out of the blitz,” Reaves said. “He doesn’t try to force it too much in those situations, and he makes the right play. So therefore you’re playing four-on-three, and it just comes down to playing the game the right way and passing it to the open person, because three people can’t guard four.“
- In another story for ESPN.com, McMenamin outlines how the Lakers have improved over the course of the season on the defensive end. Having Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent healthy and trading for Finney-Smith helped, but L.A.’s supposed liabilities have also been punching above their weight. “Even their biggest defensive liabilities in Reaves, LeBron and Luka, who is only so-so, are playing well above their defensive standards,” a Western Conference scout told ESPN.
- Two-way guard Jordan Goodwin has been another impact defender for the Lakers. As we noted this morning, he only has four active games remaining. “I’m just trying to find any way possible just to keep the job, keep being here. It’s going to be doing the little things,” Goodwin told McMenamin. “We already got our stars so we need guys to come in and be the role players, do the dirty work. So, I’m cool with doing that if that’s what’s going to keep me in the NBA.”
- Although all three of the Lakers’ two-way players are nearing their active game limits, a source with knowledge of the team’s thinking told McMenamin that the Lakers aren’t in a rush to make decisions on the back end of their roster.
- In an interview with Joe Vardon of The Athletic, guard Bronny James says he’s confident in the progress he’s made during his rookie campaign, particularly at the G League level with South Bay. “I definitely think I’ve improved, not only as a player, but just having a different mindset as a player to go out and play my game and play the game that I know how to play,” James said. “I feel really good about it — I see the progress.”