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ORLANDO, FLORIDA – MARCH 21: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers warms up prior to the game against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center on March 21, 2026 in Orlando, Florida.
The Los Angeles Lakers are playing the Utah Jazz in the final game of the 2025-26 NBA regular season in a contest that will feature superstar LeBron James.
James, the oldest player in the league, was listed as questionable with a left foot injury for most of Sunday, but was later ruled available for the game against the Jazz.
The Lakers are in a very interesting situation in their regular-season finale, as despite some top contributors like Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves on the injury report, a loss against Utah isn’t the worst thing in the world, as it would clinch a first-round playoff battle with the Houston Rockets.
Regardless, before the game, the Lakers announced their starting lineup decision and final injury report for their last matchup of the regular season.
Lakers Starting Lineup After LeBron James News
GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 10: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the first half of a game against the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena on April 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
In a post on social media, Los Angeles’ confirmed its starting lineup for the regular-season finale for a game that won’t have a few of the team’s top players.
Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Deandre Ayton were all named starters by head coach JJ Redick and his staff.
This is a bit of a mix-and-match starting lineup for the Lakers on Sunday night. But along with the news of James’ upgraded status, Smart returns to the lineup, while Kennard and LaRavia continue as starters with Doncic and Reaves still out.
Regardless, as mentioned, this is not a game the Lakers need to win, and one they would be fine losing, so the starting lineup against the Jazz might not be a big deal, considering their first-round matchup is at stake.
Lakers Injury Report
Doncic and Reaves highlight the Lakers’ injury report for Sunday. The two are out for the time being, Reaves for at least four to six weeks, while Doncic doesn’t have a direct timeline for a return.
Redick is hopeful both could be back if the team advances past the first round, but that remains to be seen.
Additionally, Los Angeles ruled out Jaxson Hayes for the game against the Jazz, dealing with foot soreness like James.
Jaxson Hayes (left foot) is out today vs. UTA, per the Lakers
As for the 41-year-old, he was questionable for much of the day, but was officially listed as available for Sunday just an hour before the game.
The Lakers’ injury report is not as lengthy compared to other teams around the league, but considering they are still playing for playoff seeding, that isn’t the biggest surprise.
Lakers Playoff Scenarios
It might sound a bit complicated, but two things can happen in the final day of the regular season that will determine who Los Angeles plays in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
With a win and a Denver Nuggets loss, the Lakers would move up to third in the West, set to play the Minnesota Timberwolves. All signs point to them not wanting that outcome, as the Timberwolves beat Los Angeles 4-1 in the first round last year.
Complete Playoff & Play-In scenarios for Sunday’s games.
See how each result impacts seeding ⬇️
With a loss, regardless of what happens with the Nuggets, the Lakers would play the Rockets, their expected favored matchup for the first round.
If both Los Angeles and Denver end the day with the same outcome in their respective games, things would stay the same, and the Nuggets would play the Timberwolves in the ‘3-6’ matchup.
So, while the Lakers have finalized their starting lineup and injury report, what the Nuggets do has a big impact on Los Angeles. Nikola Jokic was also questionable for much of the day, but was later ruled as available for their game.
LeBron James will play tonight, per the Lakers. JJ Redick says Marcus Smart will be on a minutes restriction in his second game back. And Redick said no player will go heavy minutes past the low 30s tonight.
“We’re going to control what we can control,” Redick said, per Dan Woike of The Athletic. “There will be some minutes restrictions, including for Smart.”
Lakers vs Jazz tips off at 5:30 pm PST in what is the last game of the regular season for both sides.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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