LeBron James, Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers will be playing against the Brooklyn Nets tonight. As the season enters its final stages, most of the teams across the league are struggling to establish a spot for themselves in the playoffs.
Since the Lakers have been doing very well over the past several weeks, the team has risen in the Western Conference standings and holds the second position. On the other hand, the Nets are reported to be in a rebuilding state and are in the 12th spot of the Eastern Conference.
As both these teams get ready to face off, fans might want to know about the injury reports and predicted lineups for the Lakers and Nets. Additional background and context is also helpful.
LeBron James, Luka Dončić Expected To Miss the Lakers-Nets Game
Fans who planned to attend this game in order to watch the duo of James and Dončić dominate against the Nets will be disappointed. Although they have been playing very well together, both James and Dončić are dealing with injuries and will not be perfectly healthy for this game against the Nets.
According to the injury reports, Dončić is dealing with back soreness and is questionable. On the other hand, James is dealing with a groin strain and is expected to miss the next few weeks from the Lakers.
Their unavailability for this matchup means that the rest of their squad will have to step up and play with the best available personnel. That said, here are the injury reports and predicted lineups.
Los Angeles Lakers injury report
- LeBron James (out)
- Dorian Finney-Smith (out)
- Rui Hachimura (out)
- Luka Dončić (questionable)
- Maxi Kleber (out)
- Jaxson Hayes (out)
Los Angeles Lakers predicted lineup
- Gabe Vincent
- Austin Reaves
- Dalton Knecht
- Jordan Goodwin
Brooklyn Nets injury report
- Trendon Watford
- Cam Watford
Brooklyn Nets predicted lineup
- D’Angelo Russell
- Day’Ron Sharpe
- Zaire Williams
- Keyon Johnson
- Nic Claxton
As fans can tell from the reports, the Los Angeles Lakers are dealing with a far greater number of injuries than the Nets. This game could also be the perfect opportunity for D’Angelo Russell to show the Lakers that they made a mistake by making the decision to trade him away.
Since the Lakers have a significantly better record when compared to the Nets, they will be expected to win even without their best players on the court. If James and Doncic’s absence prevents the Lakers from winning, it will certainly look bad on the rest of the team.