The Los Angeles Lakers’ quest to end their regular season with enough good vibes in the wake of the injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves continues on Friday when they host the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have been struggling over the last several weeks, and they will be without Devin Booker, their franchise player, due to an ankle injury.
This is the second of a set of back-to-back games for the Lakers. During any such set, there is always the question of whether LeBron James will play in both contests. In addition, guard Luke Kennard, who has greatly stepped up lately, was listed as questionable due to a finger injury.
Both James and Kennard have been cleared to play, and so has veteran Marcus Smart, who missed L.A.’s last nine games with an ankle ailment. Smart will reportedly be on a minutes restriction off the bench on Friday.
With a 51-29 record, L.A. is fighting for the highest possible playoff seed in the Western Conference. It is currently in fourth place, and depending on what the third-place Denver Nuggets and fifth-place Houston Rockets do in the next 48 hours, Los Angeles could finish as high as third or as low as fifth.
