Lakers and LeBron James face uncertainty without injured Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are finished for the rest of the regular season due to injuries, and the Los Angeles Lakers could finish anywhere from third to fifth in the Western Conference playoff race.
For now, the Lakers will lean on LeBron James as their primary scorer and floor leader, while keeping in mind that the 41-year-old is wrapping up his record 23rd NBA season.
“I think we have to be mindful of that. I think that’s a valid question,” coach JJ Redick said before the Lakers visited the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night. “For all our guys, him included, we want to put them in positions to be successful. Certain guys are gonna be tasked with doing stuff they haven’t done a lot of this year.”
Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Reaves (left oblique strain) both were injured in a blowout loss to Oklahoma City on Thursday. It’s unknown when or if the NBA scoring leader and Reaves, the Lakers’ No. 2 scorer, will be available in the postseason.
Of course, Doncic is the centerpiece of that conversation as an MVP candidate who will finish the season one game short of the 65 required to be eligible for that and other postseason awards.
“I just know that he’s gonna do everything he can to try to be back,” Redick said. “I talked to him Friday, I talked him again (Saturday), I talked with him again (Sunday) morning. He’s gonna go through all the necessary things to be back at some point, and it’s our job again to extend the season so that both those guys can get back.”
Redick spoke of point guard by committee, an approach made necessary by another absence in Marcus Smart, who has a right ankle injury. Redick included James’ son, Bronny James, in that mix along with Luke Kennard, Nick Smith Jr. and the seldom-used Kobe Bufkin.
“I think simplicity wins,” Redick said. “It’s nothing too crazy. But it’s just being really simple with the menu and hopefully over the next five games, we can really figure out what works for this group. And that’s obviously trial and error.”
James had a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in a victory over Washington last week when Doncic was serving a one-game suspension for receiving his 16th technical foul this season.
The Lakers are virtually even with Denver for third and fourth in the West, and fifth-place Houston could end up chasing home-court advantage in the first round as well, particularly with the Lakers so wounded.
“I mean, it’s a challenge for us,” James said after practice Saturday in Dallas. “It’s going to be a collective group. We all have to figure out a way to do a little bit more. … But now you got to be even more tightened up on the things that we do.”
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