After a big win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Los Angeles Lakers look to build some momentum when they return to the court on Sunday night and host the Minnesota Timberwolves.
As has been the case seemingly all season, the injury report was something to monitor leading up to this one for the Lakers. The team continues to be without Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Christian Wood with no set timetable for a return. Cam Reddish is also out with his ankle sprain.
Additionally, LeBron James and Anthony Davis both came into this game listed as questionable. James has been dealing with an ankle issue for weeks now and was not able to play in the Bucks game due to what was categorized as severe soreness.
Davis was able to play against Milwaukee but hurt his shoulder late in the third quarter trying to take a charge on Giannis Antetokounmpo. While Davis was able to finish the game, he was clearly in a lot of pain and wasn’t able to make much of an impact down the stretch.
This is a big game for the Lakers though and despite their questionable tags, both James and Davis are expected to suit up. That allows other players to fall into familiar roles, although D’Angelo Russell doesn’t need to take a backseat to anybody as he has been on fire as of late.
Russell had a season-high 44 points and the game-winning bucket against the Bucks. In Russell’s last 26 games, he’s averaging 22.7 points and shooting 45.7% from 3 on 8.6 attempts. He now has a chance to get some revenge on his former team that traded him to the Lakers a little over a year ago.
Other guys like Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Spencer Dinwiddie have also been playing well in recent weeks and that needs to continue in order to beat a tough Minnesota team.
The Lakers are catching a break, however, as the Timberwolves are without star big man Karl-Anthony Towns due to a knee injury. Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson are also out of the lineup with injuries.
They still have a lot of quality players starting with Anthony Edwards though, and the focus for the Lakers is on containing him in order to avoid an offensive explosion from the young guard.
Los Angeles Lakers (35-30) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (44-20)
6:30 p.m. PT, March 10, 2024
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV: ESPN, Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers starting lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: LeBron James
PF: Rui Hachimura
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Taurean Prince, Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes, Max Christie
Projected Timberwolves starting lineup:
PG: Mike Conley
SG; Anthony Edwards
SF: Nicekeil Alexander-Walker
PF: Jaden McDaniels
C: Naz Reid
Key Reserves: Jordan McLaughlin, T.J. Warren
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