After picking up a win over the Heat on Sunday, the Lakers appear to be effectively punting the second night of the back-to-back on Monday. Hours before the game, the team announced that both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves would be out.
The lower left leg contusion that Luka is listed out with was one of the injuries that led to him missing nearly a week of games. Austin, meanwhile, has not been listed on the injury report with any sort of groin soreness this year. However, Dan Woike of The Athletic noted that it is an injury he played through against the Heat.
With both of these players out, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Ayton also eventually downgraded. There doesn’t seem to be much of a point in having Ayton play through back pain in a game the team is clearly not placing much emphasis on. Allow him to sit one more game and then the team can return at relatively full strength on Wednesday against the Spurs.
This could be a nice chance for Kleber to get some run for the first time in the regular season. It’ll be a low-stakes game, so there won’t be any sort of pressure on him to contribute.
In the absence of Reaves and Luka and with Gabe Vincent still sidelined, expect a healthy dose of Marcus Smart, Dalton Knecht, Bronny James, Nick Smith Jr. and Chris Mañon as those are the Lakers main ballhandler options available.
It likely won’t be a particularly competitive game, so individual performances will likely be the only thing to look out for.
