The Los Angeles Lakers listed Anthony Davis (bilateral Achilles tendinopathy) as probable and LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) as questionable for Friday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Cam Reddish (sprained right ankle) is no longer listed on the injury report and is expected to return, as expected.
Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, Colin Castleton and Jarred Vanderbilt all remain out due to their respective injuries with no set timetable for a return. Wood recently underwent knee surgery this could be done for the season, while both Vincent and Vanderbilt seem to be making progress even if I can’t come back yet.
Lakers rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino is also out after the team announced he had back surgery.
It’s good news to see that Reddish will be back in the Los Angeles lineup. After suffering a sprained ankle on January 23, Reddish was only able to play in four of the Lakers’ final 23 games.
With some tough matchups coming up on the schedule, starting with Friday night against Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers, having a quality perimeter defender like Reddish back in the lineup is a big boost for the Lakers.
With each match being of extreme importance, it is reasonable to believe that James and Davis will be able to overcome their respective ailments. The Lakers haven’t played since Monday and only twice last week, giving the guys a chance to get some much-needed rest in order to feel fresh and healthy for the final stretch of the regular season.
The good news for the Lakers is that they will face a short-handed 76ers team on Friday as Joel Embiid continues to recover from knee surgery. Philadelphia hasn’t been the same team in his absence, so the Lakers have a great opportunity to avenge their previous loss to the 76ers on the road.
Austin Reaves: Lakers have a ‘must-have’ mindset
After losing a few key games to teams above them in the standings, the Lakers can’t really afford to lose too many if they want to advance in the Play-In tournament. That being said, Austin Reaves spoke about the team’s can’t-miss approach.
“Last week we had an opportunity when we played Sac and Golden State twice and we didn’t take advantage of it,” Reaves said after Wednesday’s practice. “You see how things can change so quickly that I think everyone, especially since the Atlanta game the other night, you can tell everyone was focused on one goal and that was victory. The way we do that is by playing the game the right way, so I think the intensity is increasing and we’re kind of in that must-win mindset.
