The Los Angeles Lakers announced that Rui Hachimura (left calf soreness) and Marcus Smart (viral illness) have been ruled out of Saturday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Additionally, LeBron James (right sciatica) and Gabe Vincent (left ankle sprain) remain out of action for L.A.
The matchup with the Bucks is the final game on the Lakers’ five-game road trip and comes on the second night of a back-to-back after taking care of business against the New Orleans Pelicans in the Emirates NBA Cup on Friday.
With the Lakers playing just 24 hours prior, it is good to see that both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will be in the lineup even if the team is without two other starts in Hachimura and Smart.
It’s unclear when exactly Hachimura injured his calf, but there’s no reason for him to push it this early in the season and risk a more serious injury. After Saturday’s game, the Lakers will get two days off before hosting the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night and then after that, they get four more days off.
With Hachimura and Smart out though, the Lakers will need some other players to step up against Giannis Antetokounmpo and a tough Bucks team.
One player who could get an opportunity is Adou Thiero, who is available to potentially make his NBA debut. Thiero was available for the Pelicans game as well and didn’t end up getting in, but head coach JJ Redick indicated that the 21-year-old will likely get some action in Milwaukee.
At 9-4 on the season, the Lakers have managed to get by despite a number of key players out with injuries. They will be hoping that is the case again on Saturday as they look to close their road trip on a high note with a 3-2 record against a quality opponent.
LeBron James getting close to returning to Lakers?
Reinforcements appear to be on the way for the Lakers as superstar LeBron James began practicing with their G League team this week. James has yet to play this season due to sciatica on his right side, but all indications are that he came out of his workouts with the South Bay Lakers feeling good and could return to game action as soon as this upcoming week.
Whenever LeBron does get into a game for the Lakers, he will make history as the first person to play in 23 NBA seasons.
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