All eyes will be on the LA Lakers' injury report for Monday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. It's LA's second back-to-back clash of the season against the same opponent.
When the teams last met on Oct. 27, the Lakers were severely shorthanded, missing Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, Maxi Kleber and Adou Thiero. LA lost that matchup 122-108 primarily due to this reason.
The Lakers will also remain on Monday. Smart and Hayes have returned from brief absences over the past week, but Doncic will miss another game, citing injury management.
Doncic had missed three games due to a left finger and leg contusion last week. The Lakers' official injury report also has Austin Reaves, who will miss his first game with right groin soreness.
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Meanwhile, there was looming uncertainty around Deandre Ayton. The LA Lakers' marquee offseason signing missed his first game on Sunday. Ayton dealt with back spasms in Friday's 117-112 win against the Grizzlies and missed the second half. He was available to return in the fourth, but LA didn't risk aggravating the injury.
Ayton was listed as probable against the Heat and was likely to play. However, the Lakers downgraded his status twice before tip off to rule him out. Coach JJ Redick revealed that Ayton still felt some tightness, leading to the change in his injury status.
However, Ayton has been upgraded to available ahead of his return to Portland. He spent the last two seasons with the Lakers' Western Conference counterparts before being bought out of his contract this offseason.
One of the positives for the Lakers was Maxi Kleber potentially making his regular season debut. Kleber missed two weeks due to abdominal strain. However, after being listed as questionable, he was downgraded to out.
The LA Lakers will remain without LeBron James, Gabe Vincent and Adou Thiero. James is out with sciatica without a definitive timetable for return, while Vincent could miss up to four weeks due to an ankle injury.
Rookie Thiero could also be nearing a return after recovering from a knee surgery in the offseason. He was recalled from the South Bay Lakers on Sunday, but didn't play against the Heat.
Where to watch the LA Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers game?
NBA TV will nationally televise the LA Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers game at the Moda Center from 10:00 p.m. ET and 7:00 p.m. PT. Fans abroad can catch live action online via NBA League Pass. The Lakers are 5-2, while the Blazers are 4-2. Portland leads the season series 1-0.
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