The Los Angeles Lakers are enjoying 5 video games within the subsequent seven days. It isn’t the perfect time for the harm bug to plague the workforce.
Luka Doncic will miss Friday’s recreation in opposition to the Denver Nuggets to cope with his current calf harm and a proper ankle sprain he suffered when the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo fell on him throughout Thursday’s 126-106 loss.
Doncic joins LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes on the bench, which implies 80 p.c of the Lakers’ beginning lineup is out. The fifth starter, Austin Reaves, is predicted to play, regardless of having his proper arm and wrist heavily wrapped after the sport. That is why the NBA needed to characteristic Reaves reverse three-time MVP Nikola Jokic in its promotional graphic for the massive matchup.
It is particularly powerful on the Lakers that so a lot of their massive males are damage throughout this stretch. It isn’t simply that the workforce performs six video games in eight days, however 4 of them are in opposition to the Bucks and the Nuggets. These groups have two of the perfect massive males, if not gamers, in the whole league.
The Lakers are lacking their whole beginning frontcourt, with backup ahead Dorian Finney-Smith listed as “uncertain” for Friday with an ankle harm. Even two-way middle Trey Jemison II is “questionable,” that means the Lakers’ massive males include Alex Len (signed one month in the past), 6-foot-8 Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Koloko, who’s averaging 8.7 minutes per recreation. Not what you need for Jokic and Antetokounmpo.
Gabe Vincent can also be “uncertain,” which implies the Lakers could possibly be with out six of the seven gamers who’ve performed essentially the most minutes just lately. Anticipate massive minutes for Jordan Goodwin and rookie Dalton Knecht.
The schedule would not get a lot simpler after Friday. The Lakers return to Los Angeles for a back-to-back in opposition to the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs Sunday and Monday, adopted by a Nuggets-Bucks back-to-back Wednesday and Thursday. Shams Charania reported James’ groin harm ought to hold him out for at the least one other week.
Within the tight Western Convention, the place the groups seeded 2-5 are separated by solely a recreation, this could possibly be a devastating stretch of schedule. The streaking Golden State Warriors are simply three video games again of the Lakers, and the Minnesota Timberwolves are a half-game behind them.
The hazard is that the Lakers should lean on the banged-up Doncic and Reaves and exacerbate their accidents additional as they attempt to keep afloat. The Lakers’ probabilities for a deep playoff run may rely much less on capturing and protection and extra on Doncic’s ankle and James’ groin.
