It’s been quite the wild trade window for the Los Angeles Lakers. After fans hounded Rob Pelinka for years now, he finally made the trades everyone was waiting for. Well, no one expected him to bring in Luka Doncic, but it seems that’s just how the Lakers GM rolls. The Lakers also brought in a great big man in Mark Williams. But the new players’ status might not be Lakers fans’ biggest concern for the upcoming game.

Nevertheless, everyone’s all curious about when the newly acquired talents would make their debut. Will it be in their game vs the Indiana Pacers? Let’s see what we can gather from the injury report they’ve submitted.

 Los Angeles Lakers vs Indiana Pacers Injury Report – will Luka Doncic and Mark Williams finally make their debuts?

Luka Doncic suffered a calf strain that kept him from donning the Dallas Mavericks’ colors one last time before his trade. And it seems this injury has not healed yet. Sorry to disappoint you, Lakers fans, but Luka Doncic will not be playing against the Indiana Pacers tomorrow. Similarly, Maxi Kleber is also OUT nursing a fractured foot.

However, more worryingly, LeBron James has seen his status downgraded ahead of the Pacers game. James was listed as PROBABLE for prior games, but it seems playing through an injury has taken its toll on the 40-year-old. He is now DOUBTFUL to play against the Pacers. His son, Bronny James, is OUT as he is on an assignment with the South Bay Lakers.

We were all worried after seeing the swelling in Austin Reaves’ elbows after the Warriors game. Well, our fears weren’t unfounded, as he’s now QUESTIONABLE to appear against the Pacers. Another player who’s QUESTIONABLE ahead of the Pacers game is the newly acquired Mark Williams, who awaits the completion of his trade. Lastly, Christian Wood is OUT as he continues his recovery from knee surgery.

The Indiana Pacers have two players OUT of the Lakers game. Namely, Isaiah Jackson, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in November 2024. And Myles Turner who’s OUT with a concussion. There is no timeline for his return yet. Additionally, the duo of Quenton Jackson and RayJ Dennis remain QUESTIONABLE for Saturday’s game owing to their two-way contracts.

Now that we know who will and will not play in the Lakers vs Pacers game on Saturday, let’s have a look at how the teams may line up against each other.

Lakers vs Pacers – predicted starting lineups

The Lakers, given their roster remains thin despite the inbound trades, are considering LeBron James and Austin Reaves’ availability from day to day. This means we won’t know if they’ll play until the very last minute. Although this may lead to the likes of Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Dorian Finney-Smith stepping up in their absence. Here’s what we think the Lakers may look like against the Pacers on Saturday:

As for the Pacers, well, they aren’t missing nearly the number of starters that the Lakers are. In fact, they’re only missing one, Myles Turner. So considering their injuries, here’s the lineup they may field against the Lakers on Saturday:

Thomas Bryant is expected to step up against his former club on Saturday in the absence of Myles Turner. He’s averaging 15.2 minutes a game this season, acting as a solid option off the bench for the Pacers with 7.2 points and 4 rebounds per game to show for it.

The game on Saturday poses to be quite an even contest. The Lakers and the Pacers are virtually on level footing heading into this game. They’re 5-5 in their last 10 games against each other. Although the Pacers do have a slight 3-2 edge in the last 5. That said, they will also have the edge in this game if LeBron James is unable to play on Saturday. Nonetheless, be ready to lounge back and watch a hell of a game this weekend!