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The Los Angeles Lakers could be a shorthanded club on Tuesday when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first leg of a back-to-back.
Almost all their core players, including Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves, landed on the injury report.
The big three are all listed as questionable.
James, Doncic, and Reaves are in danger of missing Tuesday’s match with their respective injuries.
This is the first time in quite a while that all three have entered a game listed as questionable. The Lakers pulled off an impressive win against the Thunder on Sunday. Because of that, the Lakers have the luxury of resting their guys in the first leg of a back-to-back.
It is likely at least one or maybe two of their top three players will miss the Thunder matchup.
Doncic, James, and Reaves were spectacular in Sunday’s win. The three combined for 69 points, 54 percent of the Lakers’ total.
Doncic, in particular, stole the show. The 26-year-old was on fire from the start. Doncic finished the game with 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals in 37 minutes of action. Doncic shot 11-of-20 from the field, including 5-of-11 from beyond the arc.
James wasn’t as flashy as Doncic, but he still did enough in the win. He scored 19 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field, three rebounds, seven assists, and one steal.
As for Reaves, he was second in team scoring, recording 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field and shooting 4-of-8 from three. Reaves also tallied two rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block.
After the Thunder game, the Lakers will travel to Dallas to take on Doncic’s former team, the Mavericks. This game will be worth watching as it will be Doncic’s first time playing his former team in front of the Dallas fans.
The emotions will be at an all-time high as Mavericks center and former Laker Anthony Davis will also look to show up and show out.
That game will be nationally televised, so it’s no shock that the Lakers’ big three could miss Tuesday’s match.
Doncic’s teammates realize the importance of the matchup and will do all they can to make sure he gets his in that contest.
On top of that, the game on Wednesday will go a long way in the standings for both teams.