The Los Angeles Lakers return to preseason action on Sunday night when they face the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena, the first of their final four tune-up games before the regular-season opener—also against Golden State—on Oct. 21.
Head coach JJ Redick confirmed after Saturday’s practice that guard Marcus Smart, sidelined by Achilles tendinopathy and a recent illness, will make his Lakers debut on Sunday. Forward Maxi Kleber and rookie Adou Thiero remain out.
Luka Doncic, held out of the first two preseason contests following a busy EuroBasket summer with Slovenia, practiced in full on Saturday. Redick said the All-NBA guard will appear in two of the remaining four preseason games, though it is still undetermined whether he will play on Sunday.
“Luka was a full participant in today’s practice. He’s going to play in two games in preseason,” Redick told reporters. Doncic echoed that plan, noting the team was simply being cautious after his national-team commitments. “I played one month of basketball with Slovenia. It’s a long season ahead, so it was just because of that,” he said.
Center Deandre Ayton recently indicated he has had limited on-court time with Doncic, making the guard’s pending return a welcome development for team chemistry.
The Lakers will still be without LeBron James on Sunday. The 21-time All-Star is dealing with right-side sciatica and will miss Opening Night for the first time in his 23-year career. He is scheduled for re-evaluation in three to four weeks.
Los Angeles continues preseason play with three more games following Sunday before the regular season begins.
Source: Lakers Nation
