There appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel for the Los Angeles Lakers amid their current injury crisis.
On Friday, despite a valiant effort from an extremely shorthanded lineup, the Lakers suffered a respectable 131-126 defeat at the hands of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. L.A. gave Denver a run for its money despite having four starters sidelined due to injury, including LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
The Lakers were able to reveal some good news on Saturday, though. They announced, via the official injury report, that Doncic is trending towards playing in their next game.
At this point, Doncic, who is dealing with a right ankle sprain, is considered probable to play against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
This is a crucial development for the Lakers after losing four consecutive games. The Lakers have now fallen to the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference with a 40-25 record. However, as of writing, only two games separate them from the No. 2 seed Nuggets, with Denver in action on Sunday.
Apart from Doncic, big man Jaxson Hayes could also make his return on Sunday after being listed as probable to play. Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent, who were both out against Denver, have been upgraded to questionable for Sunday's contest.
Rookie Dalton Knecht is probable to play as well, but LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Maxi Kleber remain out.
The Lakers are still significantly undermanned, but it appears that they will be able to field a much stronger lineup on Sunday as they host Durant and the Suns.
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This story was originally published March 15, 2025 at 5:35 PM.