The Los Angeles Lakers will conclude their two-day road trip on Saturday, with the team taking on the division rival Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in the Bay Area before returning to Crypto.com Arena for the second game of a back-to-back set against Russell Westbrook and the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
Unfortunately for Los Angeles, the team will be shorthanded on Saturday with one of its key role players still dealing with an illness. Veteran forward Rui Hachimura has been ruled out for a second straight game, as he has been ruled out against the Warriors.
Lakers Forward Rui Hachimura to Miss Second Straight Game
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (illness) has officially been ruled OUT for today's game against the Warriors.
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 28, 2026
With Hachimura still battling an illness, Lakers head coach JJ Redick and his coaching staff will likely continue to lean on Jake LaRavia to pick up the slack off the bench, as he’ll potentially see a boost in minutes.
The Lakers will try to end a three-game skid on Saturday. Luka Doncic and company have lost consecutive games against the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns, with the last two games ending on missed last-second shots by LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
Lakers in Danger of Falling Into Play-In Tournament
LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers
Feb 26, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) against the Phoenix Suns in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
As a result of the three-game losing streak, the Lakers have dropped to sixth place in the Western Conference, with Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves now sitting two games ahead of Los Angeles in the standings.
As if that was troubling enough for the Lakers, the Suns are creeping on them, being only one game back of the 17-time NBA champions. This is concerning with the team heading into the final stretch of the 2025-26 NBA regular season. Only 23 games remain after Saturday’s matchup in San Francisco, and less than a month until the NBA playoffs get underway on April 18.
The Lakers desperately need to get back on track before the season spirals out of control with the playoffs looming. Fortunately, the schedule is favorable over the next few games: the Warriors are struggling, the Kings (14-47) are dead last in the West standings and the New Orleans Pelicans (18-42), who Los Angeles will host on Tuesday, are only four games ahead of Sacramento.
However, things will get tough for Redick’s squad after Tuesday’s matchup, with the Lakers set to face the Denver Nuggets (twice), New York Knicks, Timberwolves, Houston Rockets (twice), Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers in March.
There will be no margin for error for the Lakers as they try to stay in the playoff picture over the next month and a half.
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