Jarred Vanderbilt Receives Final Injury Designation for Lakers vs. Mavericks

After the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this week, the Los Angeles Lakers were hit with bad news, one after the other, as the team won't have stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for the rest of the regular season due to injuries.

Along with Reaves and Doncic, Marcus Smart is still on the mend with a right ankle contusion, which will keep him sidelined for Sunday's road game against the Dallas Mavericks. This is also a significant concern moving forward.

Jarred Vanderbilt is Available to Play vs. Mavericks

Jarred Vanderbilt (right calf soreness) has been upgraded to AVAILABLE for tonight’s game at Dallas.
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) April 5, 2026

Veteran forward Jarred Vanderbilt also popped up on the Lakers' injury report on Saturday, as he is dealing with right calf soreness. However, he has been upgraded from questionable to available, giving the team another body off the bench.

With Vanderbilt in the fold, the Lakers will get some help defensively, as he'll likely see more minutes on the floor than usual on Sunday in Dallas. The defensive-minded forward has seen his role diminish drastically this season, as head coach JJ Redick and company have been prioritizing players that can make more of an impact offensively.

Shorthanded Lakers Face Tough Stretch Without Doncic & Reaves

Apr 2, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) warms up before the start of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

As for how the rest of the season pans out for the Lakers, there could be a rough road ahead without Reaves and Doncic, with LeBron James needing to figure out a way to shoulder the load moving forward.

After Sunday's game against the Mavericks, Los Angeles will have only four games left on the regular-season schedule. They may need to win all four if they want to stay in third place in the Western Conference standings, with the Denver Nuggets looking like one of the hottest teams in the league right now, sitting only a half-game behind them.

The Nuggets have won eight games in a row and are coming off an impressive win over Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, who currently sit in second place in the West behind the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Houston Rockets have also turned it on as of late, with Kevin Durant's squad winning five straight games, as they try to secure a higher seed in the West. Houston is a game and a half back of the Nuggets whille currently sitting in fifth place.

The final four games for the Lakers pose some challenges: they'll take on the Thunder again on Tuesday in Los Angeles, then will play their final game on the road on April 9, heading to the Bay Area to take on Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

That'll be followed by a potentially tough matchup against the Phoenix Suns on April 10 and the regular-season finale at Crypto.com Arena against the Utah Jazz.

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