With 30 games of the 2024-25 season in the books, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in a decent position as they currently sit in sixth in the Western Conference standings.
The Lakers are coming off an impressive Christmas Day victory against the Golden State Warriors where they managed to hold on in the closing minutes. Los Angeles was shorthanded as Anthony Davis was forced out of the game early due to a sprained ankle, but the rest of the team was able to step up in his absence.
Rui Hachimura noted he was grateful to play on Christmas and to win the game, but now the Lakers must turn their attention to another matchup with the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night. So far, Los Angeles has taken the first three games against Sacramento but they could be shorthanded again as LeBron James, Davis and Hachimura are all listed as questionable while D’Angelo Russell is probable, according to head coach JJ Redick.
“LeBron and Rui, excused absences, were home sick today. The doctors have checked them out, I would say they are questionable for tomorrow. But they’re home sick. AD was in the building, got treatment, he is also questionable for tomorrow. DLo participated in practice except for the contact portion. He’s probably trending towards probable,” Redick said after practice on Friday.
Given the time of year, it’s not surprising to hear that James and Hachimura are dealing with being sick while it was expected Davis would be questionable for the contest. However, the encouraging news is Russell is slated to like return after missing the Warriors game.
Los Angeles’ frontcourt depth is already thin as is, so if any of James, Hachimura and Davis are forced to miss that would put some serious strain on the lineup. Head coach JJ Redick is already doing his best with the players he has on hand, so hopefully none of them have to miss the game against Sacramento.
The Kings have largely underwhelmed during the regular season but have played the Lakers close in their previous matchups as their star duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantis Sabonis can cause issues. Their chemistry plus the pace they play at can make things tough on Los Angeles, so it’ll be interesting to see how they respond especially if they end up missing players.
Lakers among teams linked to Kings’ De’Aaron Fox
Sacramento currently owns a 13-18 record which has led some to believe that Fox could be the next disgruntled star to ask for a trade. If Fox does ask out, the Lakers have been linked as a potential landing spot though the Kings would likely be reluctant to trade him to a division rival.
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