On paper, a contest between the Lakers and Pacers should be an easy win for LA. However, a couple of key injuries have made the path to victory a bit harder.
The Lakers will complete their last extended road trip of the season without Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart and Adou Thiero.
Starting center Deandre Ayton’s status is also up in the air. He is listed as questionable on the injury report.
This is the second straight game both Hachimura and Smart will miss. Lakers head coach JJ Redick stated that Smart was day-to-day after a right ankle issue occurred due to a collision with Magic player Goga Bitadze.
Redick also said Hachimura is day-to-day with right calf soreness. On the bright side, Redick stated that Hachimura had an MRI, which came back clean.
Both players are key parts of the rotation, and after losing to the Pistons, Redick mentioned how much the team missed Smart’s play.
Thiero played a short shift against the Pistons, but is now out with left knee soreness. Thiero has missed significant time due to left knee surgery recovery, so if he’s feeling anything sore at all on that same knee, he should sit.
On the court, he’s not a player who gets regular playing time, so his absence impacts the Lakers less than the other players out for this contest.
If Ayton misses, that’d be an even bigger challenge to overcome. No one on the team has the size and post talent Ayton provides. Hopefully, he will be cleared to play.
Despite being shorthanded in Indy, the Lakers should still take care of business. The Pacers are tanking and have nothing left to play for and the Lakers are fighting to keep their No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
And, while Smart and Hachimura are valuable players, LA still has its big three of Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and LeBron James ready to go.
So, a win should still be expected as they try to end the season strong.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
