On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder will face off for the second time in three days at Paycom Center. The Lakers blew out the Thunder 126-99 on Sunday, but another win against the team with the best record in the NBA appears unlikely.
The Lakers have released their injury report for the rematch with the Thunder, and they could be without most, if not all, of their big guns. Two players who certainly won’t be playing are Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy) and Maxi Kleber (right foot surgery recovery).
Kleber is yet to play a game for the Lakers since arriving as part of the Luka Doncic trade, and it seems unlikely he’ll play any part in this regular season. As for Hachimura, he hasn’t played both games of a back-to-back since returning from injury.
So, it’s not a surprise that Hachimura is not playing here, as the Lakers take on the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. It might be with an eye on that Mavericks game that some of the key players also sit out against the Thunder.
Luka Doncic (right groin strain), Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle effusion), LeBron James (left groin strain), Bronny James Jr. (illness), Austin Reaves (right ankle sprain), and Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion) have all been listed as questionable.
Doncic, Finney-Smith, James, Reaves, and Vincent all played in the win against the Thunder, and it’s unlikely they’re dealing with any major issues. The Lakers find themselves in a position where they can afford to have their key players sit out for one leg of a back-to-back, and they could well have decided to go full strength against the Mavericks.
As for why the Lakers are in this position, well, that’s down to their recent success and the failings of the teams around them in this playoff seeding race. They have won four of their last five games to improve to 48-30 and are third in the West.
While the Lakers are surging, the Denver Nuggets have lost four in a row to drop to 47-32. The Golden State Warriors, meanwhile, looked like a real threat to catch the Lakers but lost to the Houston Rockets on Sunday and are now 46-32. That’s the exact record for the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, as well.
So, the Lakers have created some separation from the chasing pack and only need to win two of their four remaining games to finish third. You’d fancy their chances of beating the Mavericks and then the Portland Trail Blazers in their final game to lock up that third seed.
That game against the Mavericks is one that all eyes will be on. It is Doncic’s first game in Dallas since the trade that shook the basketball world, and you better believe the team is going to have some extra motivation to secure the win. That will be the case for Anthony Davis and the Mavericks, too, of course, and it should be a fascinating clash.
