Time is of the essence as the post-All-Star break schedules for both the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers begin with Thursday’s meeting in Los Angeles.
Injury Update Golden State Warriors – Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers’ primary objective this season is to secure playoff berth in any form. The Lakers’ 13th place finish in the Western Conference is far from ideal, but they are only two games out of a play-in spot.
The Lakers are going through a transformation in order to move forward. Due to his trade, Russell Westbrook’s divisive time with the team has come to an end. L.A. improved its depth by acquiring Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarrett Vanderbilt, and Mo Bamba.
On the court, LeBron James and Anthony Davis will continue to be the team’s primary leaders, and they will also bear the bulk of the responsibility for getting the most out of the new and improved roster.
On average, James is averaging 30 points, 8.4 dimes, and 7 boards per contest. The average point total for Davis’s team is 26.0, and he is pulling down 12.3 boards per game. Even though James’ right hand bruise isn’t serious, he sat out the second half of the All-Star game.
His foot pain has kept him off the field for much of this season, but he should be good to go on Thursday after some rest.
James’s suspected finger injury caused him to leave the All-Star Game early due to a bruise on his right hand. The 38-year-old superstar may or may not be able to play on Thursday against the Warriors, but his status is optimistic either way.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham reportedly told reporters that James’ finger injury is “not a problem at all.” This was reported by Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.
Even with a stress injury to his right foot, Anthony Davis may be able to play on Thursday against the Warriors.
Davis’s foot hurts, but he’ll still play on Thursday. The star center has averaged 19.2 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 32.6 minutes over the past five games.
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The defending champion Golden State Warriors will look to secure a first-round bye in the Western Conference playoffs by committing to defense.
The Warriors have struggled with injuries all year. As of right now, the Warriors will be without Andre Iguodala (hip) and Gary Payton II (hip), while Andrew Wiggins (personal reasons) is doubtful for Thursday’s game against the Lakers.
The Warriors entered the All-Star break with a 1-3 record without their injured star Stephen Curry, and their 134-124 loss on the road to the Los Angeles Clippers on February 14 highlighted their defensive woes.
There is no timetable for Curry’s return from his left leg injury, but he has returned to the practice court this week for non-contact work. Gary Payton II was acquired for his perimeter defense, but he will miss at least a month of action due to a hip injury.
The head coach, Steve Kerr, told Madeline Kenney of The San Jose Mercury News on Wednesday that Thompson will be able to play in back-to-back games in the second half of the season.
Thompson played in both ends of a back-to-back to end the first half, and it looks like he will keep doing that for the rest of the game. Thompson’s shooting has been getting better recently. In his last five games, he has made 46.2% of his shots from the field and 44.1% of his shots from deep.
