It’s game three of a three-game regular season series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers, and the T-Wolves are going for their third straight win over the Lakers.
The latest news on LeBron James, Rudy Gobert and D’Angelo Russell
Currently sitting at No. 11 in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers are chasing several teams, including No. 8 Minnesota, for a spot in the play-in tournament. The seventh-through-tenth-placed teams from each conference play in a tournament to determine the seventh-and eighth-seeds for the playoffs.
Coach Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers is improvising in the absence of star player LeBron James, who will miss the next two weeks with a right foot injury.
According to Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet, James was diagnosed with a right foot tendon injury on Thursday and will be re-evaluated in about three weeks.
James has decided to skip surgery in favor of rest and rehabilitation, with the goal of making a full recovery in time to return by the end of March.
The Lakers need James’s return soon if they want to make the Play-In Tournament after dropping to 11th in the Western Conference.
Role players like Troy Brown, Lonnie Walker, and Rui Hachimura, as well as starters like Anthony Davis (foot) and D’Angelo Russell (ankle), will see more action in James’ absence.
The Lakers’ point guard, D’Angelo Russell, has been sidelined for four games with a sprained right ankle.
Dennis Schroder, Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker, and Troy Brown will be the Lakers’ temporary replacements for LeBron James (foot). Since the Warriors will be visiting on Sunday, Russell will have another opportunity to play.
On Tuesday, the Wolves ended a three-game losing streak with a 108-101 road victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Timberwolves outscored the Clippers 60-38 in the paint, with six different players scoring in double figures.
If all goes as planned, Rudy Gobert will replace Naz Reid in the starting lineup after missing only one game.
