March 26, 2026, 6:58 p.m. PT
After getting five wins during a six-game road trip, the Los Angeles Lakers are finally coming home. They will host the Brooklyn Nets, one of the worst teams in the NBA, on Friday, as they start to wrap up their 2025-26 regular-season schedule.
The Lakers currently hold a 47-26 record and are in third place in the Western Conference, and they’re 1.5 games ahead of the fourth-place Denver Nuggets. Other than two games against the defending world champion Oklahoma City Thunder, their remaining schedule is very manageable.
But the Lakers will be at least a little short-handed on Friday versus Brooklyn. Luka Doncic and Rui Hachimura are listed as questionable, and veteran guard Marcus Smart and rookie forward Adou Thiero will not play. After missing Wednesday’s win over the Indiana Pacers, center Deandre Ayton is expected to play.
Smart, who has been pivotal to L.A.’s recent success, missed the team’s last two games, and his ankle will have a few days to heal before L.A. will truly need him. It will host the Washington Wizards on Monday before playing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, March 31. Afterward, it will visit the Thunder on April 2 and then host Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and crew on April 7.
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