The Los Angeles Lakers are set to face off against the Milwaukee Bucks tonight. The matchup marks the second and last time that the duo will compete during the ongoing regular season. If the LA team wishes to take their battle onward to the playoffs, then they will have to win this game and most of their other remaining ones to secure a higher seeding. This would require their best offensive players, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, to be in top-notch condition and put their best foot forward. Judging by the problems created by their recent injuries, however, the requirements may not be something that would be able to meet expectations.
ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin took to his official X account to share details of the Lakers Injury Report released before their matchup with the Bucks. The list kicked things off well by placing Anthony Davis (bilateral Achilles Tendinopathy) as “probable”. Given that Davis hasn’t missed a game since February 1, there isn’t much doubt about his presence. However, things become worrisome when going down the list, as LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) has been placed as “doubtful”.
LeBron has been on the injury report ever since he reportedly underwent treatment for his injured ankle during the All-Star break. While 3 of the four previous Injury Reports had placed the player as ‘questionable’, he had still managed to make an appearance for the same. Having been downgraded to ‘doubtful’, however, does not speak well towards the player’s availability to take on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co.
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While LeBron and Davis may still have a chance of making it to the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, the same can’t be said for five other Lakers. The report also highlighted that “Colin Castleton (right wrist fracture), Jalen Hood-Schifino (lumbar disc surgery), Jared Vanderbilt (right midfoot sprain), Gabe Vincent (left knee surgery), and Christian Wood (left knee surgery)” have been declared “out” from the game owing to their slow recovery.
Lakers injury report for Milwaukee: LeBron is doubtful pic.twitter.com/3RNUUwHEn8
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 25, 2024
For the Milwaukee Bucks, the situation isn’t that different from their rivals. ‘The Athletic’ reporter Eric Nehm highlighted their report, which placed lead scorers Giannis Antetokounmpo (left hamstring tendinopathy) and Khris Middleton (left ankle sprain) in the “probable” category.
How would the Starting Lineup and Depth Chart look for the Lakers-Bucks clash?
With LeBron James’ current status, Lakers fans may have to consider the fact that the 39-year-old may not be available to take on the Bucks. This would allow D’Angelo Russell to take the lead on the offensive front in his role as the Point Guard. 30-year-old Taurean Prince would take up LeBron’s position as small forward. Unless some major change takes place before the commencement of the game, the rest of the players will retain their starting points. Therefore, this will result in the depth chart to look something like this:
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POSITION | STARTER | 2ND | 3RD |
PG | D’Angelo Russell | Spencer Dinwiddie | |
SG | Austin Reaves | Max Christie | |
SF | LeBron James (Doubtful) | Taurean Prince | Cam Reddish |
PF | Rui Hachimura | ||
C | Anthony Davis (Probable) | Jaxson Hayes |
For the Milwaukee Bucks, taking Giannis and Middleton’s situation into consideration, the depth chart would look something like this:
POSITION | STARTER | 2ND | 3RD |
PG | Damian Lillard | Patrick Beverley | AJ Green |
SG | Malik Beasley | AJ Green | Pat Connaughton |
SF | Khris Middleton (Probable) | Pat Connaughton | Jae Crowder |
PF | Giannis Antetokounmpo (Probable) | Jae Crowder | Bobby Portis |
C | Brook Lopez | Bobby Portis | Danilo Gallinari |
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Who will you be rooting for when the Lakers (39-32) and the Bucks (46-26) clash? Let us know in the comments down below.
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