Prince Taurus will miss the Lakers’ next game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night. With the team sitting in ninth place in the West, coming off a win over the Atlanta Hawks that ended a two-game skid, the team will be without one of their top wings. After scoring eight points on 3-8 shooting from the floor in the March 18 game against the Hawks, Taurean Prince will now miss Friday’s game.
The news, of course, comes amid the ongoing battle between the Lakers and Golden State Warriors, with both teams sitting within a half-game of each other. With the playoffs looming, both teams are vying for the ninth seed in order to increase their chances in the play-in tournament.
However, heading into Friday’s game, they will be without Taurean Prince.
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Why is Taurean Prince sidelined for the Lakers’ upcoming game against the Philadelphia 76ers?
According to NBA.com’s March 22 injury report, Prince is listed as out for personal reasons, meaning Lakers fans won’t have to worry about his injury status. While it’s unclear what personal issues are plaguing Prince, the hope seems to be that he returns sooner rather than later.
In addition to Prince, the Lakers also have Colin Castleton, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Christian Wood, all seriously injured. The team also listed LeBron James as suspect with left ankle peroneal tendinopathy, and Anthony Davis as probable with bilateral Achilles tendinopathy.
In addition to NBA.com’s injury report, which states that Prince is out for personal reasons, Lakers reporter Mike Trudell also reported the news:
A look at the Lakers’ record against the Philadelphia 76ers this season
Friday’s meeting between the LA Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers will be the second meeting between the two teams this season. In addition to the March 22 match, the teams faced off on November 27 in an early-season match.
The game saw the 76ers earn a dominant 138-94 victory that included a 40-point outburst from the 76ers in the fourth quarter, where the Lakers only scored 14. The game also notably saw Joel Embiid pop for his first triple-double of the season, while LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined for just 35.
During the meeting, Taurean Prince notably accumulated 29 minutes of play, during which he added 11 points to the team’s total. With Prince averaging 28.2 minutes per game this season under Darvin Ham, the team will struggle to fill his minutes and the gap he leaves on the defensive end of the floor.
With Prince away, expect Reddish Cam to receive additional minutes, as well as Jaxson Hayes if LeBron James actually misses the game.
