Key Lakers Forward Ruled Out for Game Against Mavericks

Ricardo Sandoval | Jan 7, 2025

Dec 5, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Cam Reddish (5) forward Anthony Davis (3) and forward LeBron James (23) celebrate a basket scored against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the In Season Tournament quarterfinal at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers will be without their key defensive-minded forward, Cam Reddish, against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.

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Reddish has been ruled out due to low back soreness.

The Athletic's Jovan Buha shared the news via X.

The Lakers say Cam Reddish (low back soreness) has been downgraded to out for tonight’s game at Dallas.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 7, 2025

Reddish will miss his first game since Dec. 1 while he deals with low back soreness that he sustained from a hard fall during Sunday's loss to the Houston Rockets. 

The Lakers will look for contributions from Dalton Knecht and Dorian Finney-Smith off the bench.

Reddish's next chance to play will come Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets at home.

Reddish has been tremendous for the Lakers in certain spots, especially on the defensive end. His presence will be missed on Tuesday, but luckily, the Mavericks will be without their superstar Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.

They are both dealing with injuries, and they will be out for an extended period of time. The Mavericks have a 0-3 record without either in the lineup.

The Lakers have a tremendous opportunity to move their record to 0-4 and earn a win over their Western Conference rival.

Irving joined his backcourt mate and superstar, Dončić, on the sideline, who will be out for at least a handful of weeks due to a calf injury.

Dončić went down on Christmas Day with a calf strain in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Mavericks feared he'd miss extended time, then later announced he'd be out for at least a month before he'd be reevaluated, and then a further timeline would be clarified. 

Irving has been solid this season for the Mavericks, averaging 24.3 points per game, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 49 percent from the field and 44.1 percent from three in 30 games and 35.6 minutes of action.

The Mavericks' current record is 20-16, the same as the Lakers', and they are just behind L.A. in the standings. The Lakers are the fifth seed, and the Mavericks are the sixth seed.

Reddish's numbers don't come off the page. He is averaging 3.4 points per game, 0.8 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 18.7 minutes of action and 28 games.

The 25-year-old has been available more often than not this season, which is remarkable given the injuries L.A. has sustained in the frontcourt positions.

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