Although he was available on Monday, Lakers forward Rui Hachimura sat out for a seventh straight game after head coach JJ Redick learned that Hachimura would be available for just one game in the team’s back-to-back set. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes, Redick decided to save the forward for Tuesday’s game against Atlanta.
The Lakers lost without Hachimura on Monday, falling to a Sacramento team that made 17-of-26 three-point tries. Luka Doncic racked up 42 points vs. the Kings, but was battling a groin issue that required treatment throughout the night, notes McMenamin.
“I was really uncertain (about playing),” Doncic admitted after the game. “Before the game, like warming up, I felt something. So we were just trying to get warm and get going.”
While Hachimura will make his return on Tuesday, it’s unclear whether Doncic (left groin soreness) or LeBron James (left foot joint arthritis and right sciatica) will play. They’re both listed as questionable, per Marc Stein (Twitter link), and could join Jaxson Hayes (left hamstring soreness) and Austin Reaves (left calf strain) on the sidelines.
“Obviously we’re dealing with a lot of injuries right now,” James said on Monday, according to McMenamin. “Not only guys that are not in uniform, but even guys that are in uniform. So, we’re just trying to weather the storm.”
We have more from around the Pacific:
- Clippers guard James Harden become the NBA’s ninth all-time leading scorer on Monday, passing Shaquille O’Neal‘s career total of 28,596 points. “Shaquille O’Neal, somebody that I literally grew up watching here in L.A.,” Harden said, per The Associated Press. “Him and Kobe (Bryant) doing their thing, winning multiple championships, the most dominant big man in the history of the game. It’s a true honor, it’s a testament to the work that I put in.”
- Asked if injured guards Jalen Green (right hamstring strain) and Jamaree Bouyea (concussion protocol) will be available at some point during the six-game road trip that begins on Tuesday, Suns head coach Jordan Ott replied, “That’s the plan” (Twitter link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). Green has been out since November 8, while Bouyea has missed Phoenix’s past four games.
- Spencer Davies of R.org profiles second-year Suns big man Oso Ighodaro, who has earned praise from Ott for his versatility and his ability to be a “connector” in a variety of lineups. Phoenix has a +7.5 net rating during Ighodaro’s time on the court this season, compared to a -1.2 mark when he sits. “I think last year, when it was spot minutes, I was just giving everything I got,” Ighodaro said. “And now, (I’m) playing a little bit longer stretches, trying to maintain that same level of play just for my entire stretch I’m in the game. I’m definitely being asked to do a little bit more this year, so I’m trying to do all that while maintaining all the effort and intensity.”
- In the wake of Sunday’s loss to Atlanta, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area refers to the Warriors‘ roster as “profoundly defective” due to the team’s lack of length and athleticism, while Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area questions whether head coach Steve Kerr should remain committed to a starting lineup featuring Moses Moody and Quinten Post alongside Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green. That five-man unit has started 13 of the Warriors’ past 14 games but has a net rating of -3.3 on the season.
Harden has hit how many threes? Now, how about Shaq? Ine ever? Shaq was the beasts of all beasts. Congrats to Harden.
Lakers need a serious re-do of their strategy. Luka is horrible on defense to begin with, and it gets worse when his usage is through the roof offensively. He’s gassed. They need to have him defer on offense more, to at least save something for the other end.
No point scoring 42 if you’re going to give up 52.
Despite what curtain Rich Paul talking heads on ESPN would have you believe. Im quite sure Luka has a better defensive rating than LeBron this season. Lakers aren’t a threat until they can actual build around luka. James Sr and jr, Ayton are all dead weight.
They should start GP2 instead of Post…Curry, GP2, Moody, Jimmy, Draymond, although they should play matchups as much as possible, and not have a permanent starting lineup, in my opinion, unless they can add a 3 and D wing somehow
They apparently haven’t used that lineup at all
Playing Draymond at the 5 is a bad idea.
I just think its wild to still think this after all the even further years of evidence, but its your opinion
Heat fans still do the same with Bam, so I am not surprised
Draymond will be the first to tell you it is a bad idea. He is smaller than Bam. He also gets pretty beat up after an extended amount of time at the 5.
3 seasons ago Green could play the five for stretches, he’s never been big enough to play it for entire games. He’d get too banged up. Bam has 3 inches and 25 lbs on Draymond.
I didnt realize starting meant playing 48 minutes at a spot…
GP2 has been absolutely terrible this season. Getting relentlessly exposed on defense. Every game is the same: one highlight reel play and 10 absolutely awful ones. The Warriors need to move Butler to the #2 spot shooting guard next to Steph and play Gui at the #3 instead.
Gui Santos > Gp2. Stop falling for GP2, he’s a scammer, a nepo. He does not belong in the NBA, he is a street hooper, and AND1 type. Let him go do cool dunks in games that dont matter. We cannot see Steph+Podz+GP2 in the same rotation ever again. It is losing us the game every. single. time.
Steph, Seth, Moody, Richard, Podz, GP2, Pat, Melton and Hield: only TWO of those guys can play in the same rotation. Not 3 or 4. TWO. If Kerr does that, GSW will never lose again. Why the F does GSW have NINE undersized guards on the roster to begin with – that’s a massive failure on MDJ and Kerr, who requests them. MDJ should have told Kerr to get lost and only have Steph be the only undersized guy, if he did his actual job and not bend the knee to washed up Kerr.
Lakers offer for Kuminga was Vincent, Vanderbilt, and Kleber with Moody as a throw in to the Lakers. That was an easy hang up call for the warriors.
Hmm I wonder if Kerr will start Post, play him 5-6 minutes, then bench him for the rest of the half?
When a lowly fan knows your next move…you are not doing a good job.
How GSW guards should get the 96 minutes
Steph 32
Melton 20
Moody 20
Richard 15
Spencer 5
Podziemski 4
Seth 0
Payton 0
Buddy 0