In the final game of the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers head to Portland, Oregon to face the Trail Blazers. With both teams at full strength, the Lakers would have been favored to win on the road but the official injury report has revealed that the Lakers will be heavily shorthanded for tomorrow’s afternoon showdown.
After earning the win against the Mavericks on Friday, and securing the third seed in the West, coach JJ Redick opted to sit most of his starters to preserve their energy and avoid any injuries before the postseason. That’s why he decided to bench four starters on Sunday, including Luka Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves.
Those are the most crucial members of the rotation and the hope is that an extra few days of rest will give them fresh legs for the upcoming fight. For LeBron James in particular, he must be given time to heal and recover.
After suffering a groin strain last month, James was forced to miss some time and he appeared to re-aggravate the injury in the win against Houston. By avoiding tonight’s game, LeBron is guaranteed a whole week of rest and it should be more than enough time for him to be at full strength for round one.
It’s a similar situation with young star Luka Doncic. Since the trade from Dallas, Luka has been working overtime to build chemistry with his new teammates and the Lakers want him fresh so he can carry them for the next few weeks.
Besides James, Doncic, and most of the starters, three others will be questionable against Portland: Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Gabe Vincent. They are not the main attraction in LA, but they each provide a major boost in the rotation as role-players who can excel on both ends of the floor. They will likely be a game-time decision tomorrow but don’t be surprised if they end up sitting to ensure full availability for the playoffs.
With so much at stake, the Lakers cannot afford an injury now, with just one game left in the regular season. So once they had the third seed locked up, they knew what the plan would be for Sunday’s finale.
It will almost surely be a loss for the Lake Show, but it’ll be worth it to maximize their chances in the playoffs. As it stands, the Lakers are set to face the Warriors in round one and they will need all the help they can get in that series. That’s not to mention the Thunder, Nuggets, Clippers, and Timberwolves.
As presently constructed, the Lakers fully believe that they can win the championship this year and they certainly have enough talent and experience to challenge any team in the West. But with the margin for error so slim, and many teams so close to each other, it’s impossible to predict how things will shake out.
The safest path for the Lakers is to rest their guys and get a head start on preparing for the first round. Whoever they face will pose a massive challenge but LeBron and coach Redick will do their best to make sure the Lakers can handle whatever is thrown their way.
