Tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers are set to complete the tail end of their final back-to-back set of the season.
Less than 24 hours after their victory against the Warriors on Thursday (in San Francisco), the Lakers are back on their home floor with a major development that could swing the tide of the final week of action. According to the latest injury report, the Lakers will be facing both returns and absences in the lineup as they continue to endure inconsistency.
Luke Kennard (left finger injury management) is listed as questionable for tomorrow, while Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain), Jaxson Hayes (left foot injury management), and Austin Reaves (left oblique muscle strain) are still out. In a positive development, LeBron James and Marcus Smart are both available, ending fears that they might miss tonight’s game.
Meanwhile, for the Suns, Devin Booker (right ankle injury management), Jordan Goodwin (left ankle sprain), and Haywood Highsmith (right knee injury management) are all ruled out, while Jalen Green (right knee soreness) is questionable. At seventh in the West (44-36), they will not be easy to beat coming off a convincing win over the Mavericks on Wednesday.
While the Lakers are still down two stars (Reaves and Doncic), the good news is that they will get Marcus Smart back, who has been a key defensive figure for them with averages of 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game on 30.9% shooting and 33.6% shooting from three. Of course, LeBron James will also be playing, despite a brief injury scare that had the fans holding their breath. At 41, it’s hard to expect too much from LeBron, but the Lakers need everything he can give right now as the last star left standing. In 58 games this season, LeBron is averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game on 51.5% shooting and 31.5% shooting from three.
Without Luke Kennard’s shooting, points will be even harder to come by tonight, but there is hope that they can get enough from role players like Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia, and Deandre Ayton to make up the difference. Even against a Suns team that’s had the Lakers’ number all year, there is a path to victory tonight if they can maintain their efficiency, set the pace early, and apply pressure at the rim.
At fourth in the West (51-29), and in a tie with the Rockets, this game carries extra weight, and that puts even more pressure on the healthy players to step up. A loss tonight will send the Lakers down to fifth in the West, meaning they would lose home-court advantage in the first round. As shorthanded as they are, the Lakers cannot afford to stack the odds any further against them, and we can expect that urgency to show over the final two games.
In a streak of good luck, the Lakers’ next game is practically a freebie: against the lowly Utah Jazz at the Crypto.com Arena. If the Lakers can just take care of business tonight, it could be enough to hold on to their fourth-place spot and move into the playoffs with more confidence about their chances. Only time will tell how this plays out, but it’s nothing the Lakers haven’t experienced before.
