The Los Angeles Lakers will wrap up their road trip with a final game against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, March 25.
Leading up to the game, the Lakers had a few key players on their injury report. Adou Thiero was ruled out, due to left knee soreness.
Marcus Smart was ruled out, as he continues dealing with an ankle contusion. The front court standout, Rui Hachimura, was ruled out due to right calf soreness.
Meanwhile, the veteran center Deandre Ayton was downgraded to questionable on the report. Ayton is dealing with back soreness.
Lakers Announce Starting Lineup vs Indiana Pacers
The Lakers will start Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Jake LaRavia, LeBron James, and Jaxson Hayes.
The Lakers haven’t played without Ayton since the March 6 matchup against the Pacers at home. At the time, the Lakers managed to pull off a 128-117 win.
Since then, Ayton has appeared in nine-straight games for the Lakers. The veteran center has been thriving, seeing the court for 29.3 minutes per game, averaging 11.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and nearly one block per game.
This season, Ayton has averaged 12.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks throughout the 63 games he’s played.
Where The Lakers Stand On March 25
The Lakers are coming off their first loss in 20 days.
During their trip to Detroit, Michigan, the Lakers came up short with a 113-110 loss.
They remain one of the hottest teams in the NBA, as they’ve won nine of their last 10 games. The only two other Western Conference teams to win at least nine of their last 10 are the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers trail both teams in the Western Conference standings. The Thunder are 57-15 on the year. The Lakers won’t catch them for the first seed. As for the Spurs, they have an eight-game lead over the Lakers for the second seed.
If all goes right for the Lakers this week, they could become the third team in the Western Conference to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
The Denver Nuggets are behind the Lakers by 1.5 games, while the Minnesota Timberwolves are 2.0 games behind them in the fifth seed.
The Lakers and the Pacers will tip at 7 PM ET on Wednesday.
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.