Dorian Finney-Smith Injury Status For Lakers vs Nets

The Los Angeles Lakers will take on the lowly Brooklyn Nets on Monday night for their 63rd game of the 2024-25 season. The Lakers will seek their 41st win of the season and the first of this four-game road trip.

The Lakers dropped a crucial game on Saturday night against their rivals, the Boston Celtics, and they'll look to get back on the winning track. However, the Lakers will be extremely shorthanded. One of the players L.A. will have to play without is their forward, Dorian Finney-Smith.

Finney-Smith is ruled out due to left ankle soreness.

Lakers injury report for Monday in Brooklyn: pic.twitter.com/7umPQo7i0f
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 9, 2025

Finney-Smith, 31, won't face his former team due to lingering left ankle soreness. The veteran forward will join LeBron James (groin) on the sideline, meaning Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht will likely see a bump in minutes.

The veteran forward will miss his first game since Jan 17, which was also against his former team.

The last time he was on the court, Finney-Smith performed just okay. He recorded eight points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field, four rebounds, one steal, and five fouls. He was also a -10 in the plus/minus department.

In 27 games with the Lakers, Finney-Smith has averaged 6.7 points per game, 3.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.0 steals while shooting 42.7 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from three in 27.7 minutes of action.

He was traded for the Lakers on Dec. 29 and has been a game-changer for the team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Lakers needed a player like Finney-Smith to take on challenging defensive assignments, and thus far, he has been great for the team.

With or without Finney-Smith and without their key players like James, Rui Hachimura, and Jaxson Hayes, the Lakes are still heavy road favorites with a -6.5 spread.

Brooklyn hosts Los Angeles, looking to stop its four-game home losing streak.

The Nets are 9-21 on their home court. Brooklyn is 12-27 against opponents with a winning record.

The Lakers have gone 15-15 away from home. Los Angeles has a 3-4 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

Although the Lakers' eight-game win streak was snapped on Saturday, they are still one of the hottest and best teams in the NBA as of late. In their last 10 games, they have tallied an 8-2 record, averaging 111.2 points, 47.1 rebounds, 23.6 assists, 8.5 steals, and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the field.

Their opponents have averaged 104.2 points.

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