Oct 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Walker Kessler (14) reacts against the Golden State Warriors in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Oct 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Walker Kessler (14) reacts against the Golden State Warriors in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
NBA opening week continues tomorrow night with a slate of premium, must-watch matchups. In Los Angeles, the Lakers and Clippers are scheduled for their first meeting of the season, and it could tell us a lot about what to expect going forward. The catch? Neither team will be at full strength due to multiple key injuries.
Starting with the Lakers, Cameron Carr (right oblique strain) and Adou Thiero (left knee effusion) have both been ruled out, thinning the Lakers’ bench rotation. Jake LaRavia (right ankle sprain) is listed as questionable, while Walker Kessler (left finger splint) is confirmed to be available.
The good news for the Purple and Gold is that their injuries are mostly limited to fringe bench players like Carr and Thiero, who wouldn’t get many minutes anyway (barring a blowout). After a few more days (or more) of recovery, they should be cleared for action, but the Lakers don’t believe they’re quite ready yet and want to give them more time. For now, Jake LaRavia can hold it down off the bench, who dropped 10 points off the bench in Wednesday’s win.
Most critically, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are good to go without restrictions, ensuring the Lakers have their three most important players for this showdown. Between their scoring talent and Kessler’s presence in the paint, they should have more than enough to secure victory tomorrow, which would be their second straight.
The Clippers, meanwhile, are facing a much more precarious situation. Bradley Beal (knee injury management) will be out of action tomorrow, joining Brandon Ingram (right heel surgery), Jordan Miller (rotator cuff surgery), Yanic Konan Niederhauser (right Lisfranc surgery), and Max Strus (right plantar fascia tear) on the sidelines.
In the aftermath of the Kawhi Leonard drama, the Clippers are still rebuilding, but they hoped to be somewhat competitive with their new additions. While they looked good in the blowout win over the Kings this week, doubts remain that they can keep the momentum in the face of so many obstacles.
Going into this season, the Clippers were already underdogs, and these absences are only making things harder. What’s worse is that, unlike the Lakers, they are missing some of their best rotation players, and they might not be back for several more weeks or months. In the meantime, it puts additional pressure on guys like Darius Garland and Rui Hachimura to pick up the slack.
In the end, taking everything into account, tomorrow’s game is the Lakers’ to lose. With the players fresh and in front of their home crowd, the Lakers have more than enough available talent to take care of business against a familiar rival. If they are serious about contending with the likes of the Thunder and Spurs, these are the types of games they can’t afford to lose.
Regardless of their own situation, the Clippers will be ready to fight, and it should make for some entertaining basketball, if nothing else. Ultimately, the biggest hope right now for these teams is that they can get back to full strength again while the season is still young.