The Los Angeles Lakers will be without both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, the team announced. The matchup is the second night of a back-to-back and marks the second consecutive Monday the clubs will meet.
Doncic is sidelined for the fourth time this season due to lower left leg contusion injury management. The guard had returned last week to score 44 points against Memphis, then recorded his first triple-double of the season in Sunday’s win over the Miami Heat.
Reaves will miss the game with right groin soreness. In earlier games without Doncic, the third-year guard delivered 51- and 41-point performances and hit a buzzer-beating floater.
Additional absences
- LeBron James (right sciatica) has yet to appear this season.
- Adou Thiero (left knee surgery recovery) and Gabe Vincent (left ankle sprain) remain out.
The Lakers could regain frontcourt help: Deandre Ayton (back spasms) and Maxi Kleber (abdominal strain) are both listed as questionable after missing Sunday’s contest.
With nearly the entire backcourt unavailable, head coach JJ Redick is expected to lean heavily on veteran Marcus Smart, emerging wing Jake LaRavia, second-year guard Bronny James—who logged 18 minutes against Miami—and rookie Dalton Knecht.
Portland arrives in strong early-season form, led by veteran guard Jrue Holiday and forward Deni Avdija.
Reaves praises Bronny James
Before being ruled out, Reaves said he was impressed with Bronny James’ performance on Sunday. “He was good defensively, did the right things offensively,” Reaves noted. “The more he continues to get those minutes, the better he’ll be. We needed the minutes that he gave us tonight.”
The Lakers and Trail Blazers tip off Monday night at Moda Center.
Source: Lakers Nation
