The Los Angeles Lakers square off against the New Orleans Pelicans at 6:30 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers are 14-4 entering the game, looking to extend their winning streak to seven amid the return of forward LeBron James and outstanding play from their star backcourt.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, are one of the worst teams in the league, placing 15th in the Western Conference with a lackluster 3-17 record.
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For the Lakers, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will start as the guard duo. Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura will be the center and forward.
LeBron James, who was listed as day-to-day with a foot injury, was expected to be the starting forward, but his injury, which downgraded him to questionable on Saturday, has caused him to miss the game.
Additionally, Marcus Smart, who was listed as doubtful with back spasms, will also miss time, causing Gabe Vincent to assume James’ starting position.
With normal starters Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones and Jordan Poole all sitting, the Pelicans have had to make some lineup tweaks.
Saddiq Bey and rookie wing Micah Peavy will start at the forward spots. Guards Bryce McGowens and rookie lottery pick Jeremiah Fears will start in the backcourt, with a third rookie, Derik Queen, serving as the starting center.
How Are The Lakers Doing?
The Lakers are playing excellent basketball overall. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are creating easy scoring opportunities for themselves and their teammates, while role players like Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura have been outstanding at fulfilling their roles without forcing plays on either end of the court.
Head coach JJ Redick, after the Lakers’ most recent game and win against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, highlighted other small things the team is doing well and powering them to a six-game winning streak.
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“The game plan discipline and game plan execution have been pretty good all season, and we’ve been building that,” Redick said, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register.
“The outliers on that, to me, are like the games where we lack effort, didn’t play hard, which basically are two games of the 18.
“Our communication habits, on-court huddles, all of that stuff has been great. And then offensively, the organization and the execution is significantly better than where it was last year. And our ability to understand what we’re trying to do and why we’re trying to do it on offense has been really good.”
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