Lakers Injury Report: 2 Starters Downgraded For Crucial Pelicans Matchup

L.A. faces off against New Orleans on the second night of a back-to-back.

Feb 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23), Washington Wizards forward Marvin Bagley III (35), Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) and Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) battle for a rebound in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Two Los Angeles Lakers starters could miss the second game of a back-to-back set on Saturday night against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Per the NBA's latest injury report, shooting guard Cam Reddish has been downgraded to questionable to play through a right peroneal sprain, and is seen as a game-time decision. Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports that Reddish will partake in his usual pregame warm-up routine before determining whether or not he can suit up.

Starting combo forward Rui Hachimura is doubtful to suit up for the second straight night with a nagging right ankle sprain. According to Buha, head coach JJ Redick doesn't expect Hachimura to suit up. “In my mind, (he’s) not gonna play,” Redick said. “But we’ll obviously wait for the final word.” On Friday night, rookie shooting guard performed admirably while being promoted to a starting role with the club.

Big men Jaxson Hayes (right ankle sprain), Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot surgery recovery) and Christian Wood (left knee surgery recovery) are all shelved, as is point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.

Not to be outdone, a boatload of Pelicans starters are unavailable. Four, to be precise. All-Star forward Zion Williamson (left hamstring strain), starting guards Dejounte Murray (left hand fracture) and CJ McCollum (right adductor strain) and starting center/forward Herbert Jones (right shoulder strain) are all sidelined. Reserve guards Jose Alvarado and Jordan Hawkins and backup wing Trey Murphy III, while Karlo Matkovic is on assignment to the Pelicans' G League affiliate in Alabama, the Birmingham Squadron.

The 8-4 Lakers are riding high on a four-game win streak (LeBron James has notched a triple-double in each of those four wins), while the reeling Pelicans are 4-9 and have gone 2-8 in their last 10 games.

UPDATE:

Buha reports that both Reddish and Hachimura will be out for the evening's proceedings. This will put even more of the scoring burden on All-Stars James and Anthony Davis — the latter of whom was just upgraded to available, Buha adds.

So how will this impact head coach JJ Redick's starting five? Buha predicts that, on the heels of a solid 11-point effort against the Grizzlies on Friday, Max Christie will be promoted to a starting wing role alongside Knecht. Incumbent starters Austin Reaves, James and Davis are all automatically penciled in. Buha notes that the recently-demoted D'Angelo Russell could also be shifting back to his starting point guard role, albeit temporarily in the wake of these absences. Reaves would likely be moved back to his former shooting guard gig, while the bigger Knecht would presumably start at small forward.

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