The Los Angeles Lakers season has landed in hot waters since LeBron James went out with a groin injury. They were beating teams for fun but now are struggling to get a win on the board, having lost 4 in a row. On their hectic schedule, they are now getting ready to face Kevin Durant’s Phoenix Suns at home, with a cloud of doubt over Luka Doncic’s presence.
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Luka is featured on the injury report as being probable due to a right ankle sprain. He missed the last game against the Nuggets because of his injury, resulting in the Lakers’ loss by five points. Their four-game trip has been nothing short of a nightmare.
The Lakers faced the Celtics, Nets, Bucks, and Nuggets on the road and lost all four games. Now that they’re finally coming back home, where they last won against the Knicks, the Lakers would be hoping for a turnaround. However, it might not be as easy as it sounds because a total of eight players are on the injury report.
Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber, and LeBron James are out, whereas Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent are questionable. Jaxson Hayes and Dalton Knecht are listed as probable on the report. Knecht picked up the injury in the last game when he went for a dunk and couldn’t find the grip to hold on to the rim.
Hayes, Knecht, and Doncic will likely play tonight against the Suns, but the Lakers are still going to be short-staffed. When they took on the Nuggets without Luka and LeBron, the Lakers managed to put up a good fight. Knecht dropped 32 points, but the night belonged to Austin Reaves.
Reaves had 37 points with eight rebounds and 13 assists. But these efforts couldn’t take them over the hump. Now, the Lakers are on a four-game losing streak and must be desperate to add another win to their tally. Fortune might favor them during the home game, as the Suns haven’t been the best lately.
Although they are coming off a dominant win against the Kings, the Suns have lost six of their last 10 games. Their away record is one of the worst in the league: 12-23. So, if Luka laces up tonight, they might be able to put the nightmare road trip behind them.
