The Los Angeles Lakers announced they have ruled out Rui Hachimura for Friday night’s game against the L.A. Clippers due to a left knee strain that he suffered in Thursday night’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
While the victory over the Timberwolves was a big one, it came at a cost as Hachimura got hurt and some other guys were banged up at the end of the night. With it being a quick turnaround for Friday’s game against the Clippers, the Lakers listed Luka Doncic (left calf injury management), Jaxson Hayes (left hip contusion) and LeBron James (left foot injury management) as questionable.
All of them are able to play though, which is great news for a Lakers team that is going for its fifth straight win. The Lakers and Clippers split the first two games of their season series at Intuit Dome in Inglewood and now will finish things up with two games at Crypto.com Arena on Friday and Sunday night, respectively.
In Hachimura’s absence, the expectation is for Dorian Finney-Smith to slip into the Lakers’ starting lineup and play extended minutes for JJ Redick. Other guys like Dalton Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jordan Goodwin and Gabe Vincent will also likely get more run off the bench and need to pick up the scoring load that Hachimura usually carries for L.A.
With it being the second night of a back-to-back, the Lakers will likely be playing with tired legs. The team has been playing at an extremely high level in recent weeks though and look to keep that going against a Clippers team hoping to gain ground in the Western Conference standings.
Doncic has struggled offensively since joining the team but has typically had great games against the Clippers, so hopefully he will break out in a big way on Friday in front of his home crowd. Regardless, it is just good to see him healthy and able to play in a back-to-back for the first time since returning from injury.
Los Angeles Lakers (36-21) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (32-26)
Friday, February 28, 2025, 7:00 p.m. PT
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV: ESPN, Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Dorian Finney-Smith
PF: LeBron James
C: Jaxson Hayes
Key Reserves: Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, Alex Len, Cam Reddish
Projected Clippers Starting Lineup:
PG: James Harden
SG: Kris Dunn
SF: Kawhi Leonard
PF: Derrick Jones Jr.
C: Ivica Zubac
Key Reserves: Amir Coffey, Nic Batum, Ben Simmons, Bogdan Bogdanovic
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