After playing without all five starters in Tuesday’s blowout loss against the San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Lakers hoped to get back on track Thursday in their final game before the All-Star break.
Luckily for head coach JJ Redick, LeBron James, Marcus Smart and Austin Reaves were all able to suit up.
In the game, James became the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, scoring 28 points to go along with 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Austin Reaves came off the bench once again, scoring 18 points on 5-for-10 shooting. He also added four rebounds and six assists. Rui Hachimura had a nice night offensively, offering 21 points as the Lakers cruised to a 20-point victory against the Dallas Mavericks who were playing without rookie sensation Cooper Flagg.
Ahead of the game, Los Angeles received positive news surrounding the health of one of their sidelined starters, Deandre Ayton. According to NBA insider Dan Woike, Ayton received imaging on his right knee and the results came back clean.Â
Following the results, the team is optimistic that Ayton will be able to return after the break.
Additionally, Redick told the media that Luka Doncic “should be good to go” when Los Angeles’ schedule resumes next week.
The Lakers will have the next six days off before returning home to face Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers.
They’ll follow that game with consecutive home matchups against the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic before embarking on a brief two-game road trip.
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