Lakers News: LA To Be Without Two Leading All-Star Game Vote-Getters Tomorrow
Your Los Angeles Lakers proved last night against the visiting Miami Heat that a few major absences wouldn't stop them from taking down a tough Eastern Conference playoff club, as they ultimately won 112-109 while missing their top three scorers in power forward LeBron James, center Anthony Davis and small forward/shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV.
Tomorrow, the team may be getting a handful of that trio back, but will be missing at least one other big contributor.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports that key reserve shooting guard Austin Reaves, who has received the ninth-most 2023 All-Star Game fan votes among Western Conference guards, will miss tomorrow's bout against the Atlanta Hawks with a left hamstring strain.
Buha adds that the team's other two top All-Star Game fan vote recipients, James (sore left ankle) and Russell Westbrook (sore left foot), have been listed a probable to suit up, but that reserves Troy Brown Jr. and Damian Jones are questionable. Brown departed yesterday's win over the Heat in the first half with a left quad strain. Jones's inclusion on the injury report is something of a surprise, as the little-used big man is currently questionable with a sore right great toe.
Davis, of course (who is currently the third-leading vote-getter among Western Conference frontcourt players), remains out with a stress injury to his right foot. According to the league's latest injury report, Walker will miss his fourth consecutive contest with left knee tendonitis.
LA, as you'll surely recall, beat Atlanta 130-121 last week on the road behind a season-high 47-point, 10-rebound, nine-assist masterpiece from LeBron James.
