It will be the Austin Reaves show as the Los Angeles Lakers end their four-game road trip against the Denver Nuggets. LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes all returned to L.A. and remain out, but now Luka Doncic (left calf injury management and right ankle sprain) is out as well. Additionally, Gabe Vincent (left knee injury management) and Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle injury management) are doubtful while Trey Jemison (illness) is questionable, leaving the Lakers extremely shorthanded.
Head coach JJ Redick will have to go deep in the reserves on this night and every player will have to shine in order for the Lakers to pull off a win against the Nuggets, who will undoubtedly be motivated after being embarrassed the last time the Lakers were in this building. Additionally, they are coming off a 20-point home loss just a couple days ago and thus are surely looking at this game as a way to get back on track.
Reaves will obviously be the hub of the Lakers offense and the last time he was in this position with no James or Doncic he responded with a career-night of 45 points in a win over the Indiana Pacers. But even if he were to repeat that performance, the Lakers need others to step up in order to get a win.
The best candidate for a breakout performance is rookie Dalton Knecht, who has had some big nights this season and is more than capable of catching fire on any given night. Redick will likely give him the green light to fire away as there just aren’t many other options available. Jordan Goodwin and Shake Milton have each had some solid offensive nights recently as well while the likes of Markieff Morris and Cam Reddish could be turned to as well and anything the Lakers can get from them would have to be considered a bonus.
L.A. has 10 players in uniform and Redick said he expects them all to play, including Bronny James.
Perhaps more important is what the Lakers do defensively against the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic, in particular. Redick’s gameplan against him in the last contest was outstanding, but with so many players out it likely isn’t replicable. Arguably the Lakers best chance is to figure out a way to ugly this game up and keep it low-scoring, but that is easier said than done against Denver.
Containing Jokic again is unlikely, but if the Lakers can figure out a way to hold Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. in check, and scrape together just enough offense, they might have a chance to pull off an unlikely victory.
Los Angeles Lakers (40-24) vs. Denver Nuggets (42-24)
Friday, March 14, 2025, 6:30 p.m. PT
Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
TV: Spectrum SportsNet, NBA TV
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Austin Reaves
SG: Jordan Goodwin
SF: Dalton Knecht
PF: Jarred Vanderbilt
C: Alex Len
Key Reserves: Shake Milton, Markieff Morris, Christian Koloko, Cam Reddish, Bronny James
Projected Nuggets Starting Lineup:
PG: Jamal Murray
SG: Christian Braun
SF: Michael Porter Jr.
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Jokic
Key Reserves: Russell Westbrook, Peyton Watson, Jalen Pickett, Zeke Nnaji
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