The Los Angeles Lakers are playing five games in the next seven days. It’s not the best time for the injury bug to plague the team.
Luka Doncic will miss Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets to deal with his existing calf injury and a right ankle sprain he suffered when the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo fell on him during Thursday’s 126-106 loss.
Doncic joins LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes on the bench, which means 80 percent of the Lakers’ starting lineup is out. The fifth starter, Austin Reaves, is expected to play, despite having his right arm and wrist heavily wrapped after the game. That’s why the NBA had to feature Reaves opposite three-time MVP Nikola Jokic in its promotional graphic for the big matchup.
It’s especially tough on the Lakers that so many of their big men are hurt during this stretch. It’s not just that the team plays six games in eight days, but four of them are against the Bucks and the Nuggets. Those teams have two of the best big men, if not players, in the entire league.
The Lakers are missing their entire starting frontcourt, with backup forward Dorian Finney-Smith listed as “doubtful” for Friday with an ankle injury. Even two-way center Trey Jemison II is “questionable,” meaning the Lakers’ big men consist of Alex Len (signed one month ago), 6-foot-8 Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Koloko, who is averaging 8.7 minutes per game. Not what you want for Jokic and Antetokounmpo.
Gabe Vincent is also “doubtful,” which means the Lakers could be without six of the seven players who’ve played the most minutes recently. Expect big minutes for Jordan Goodwin and rookie Dalton Knecht.
The schedule doesn’t get much easier after Friday. The Lakers return to Los Angeles for a back-to-back against the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs Sunday and Monday, followed by a Nuggets-Bucks back-to-back Wednesday and Thursday. Shams Charania reported James’ groin injury should keep him out for at least another week.
In the tight Western Conference, where the teams seeded 2-5 are separated by only a game, this could be a devastating stretch of schedule. The streaking Golden State Warriors are just three games back of the Lakers, and the Minnesota Timberwolves are a half-game behind them.
The danger is that the Lakers will have to lean on the banged-up Doncic and Reaves and exacerbate their injuries further as they try to stay afloat. The Lakers’ chances for a deep playoff run might depend less on shooting and defense and more on Doncic’s ankle and James’ groin.
