The Los Angeles Lakers have been rolling as of late. Despite an injury that is going to keep LeBron James out for several weeks, Los Angeles has been able to string together some wins and insert itself into the NBA Play-In Tournament picture.
The team is looking to continue that momentum on Friday as the Lake Show hosts the Toronto Raptors. Toronto has not had the kind of season it was hoping to have but has played good basketball of late since the addition of Jakob Poeltl.
Los Angeles would benefit from a boost in having an injured player return and that might be exactly what the team is getting.
D’Angelo Russell injury update vs Raptors:
D’Angelo Russell was listed as questionable for the first time since suffering his ankle injury on Tuesday and that is seemingly a good sign for tonight. Russell is considered probable for Friday’s game against the Raptors.
Barring any setbacks before tip-off, Russell seems slated to make his return for the Lake Show. If he does, he would have missed six games in total with LA going 4-2 in that span.
Full Lakers injury report vs Raptors:
Anthony Davis (foot) is on the Lakers injury report but he is listed as probable. This has been the status quo for Davis since he returned from the foot injury that sidelined him for over a month. He is on the injury report for just about every game and plays almost every game if the team is not load-managing him.
LeBron James is obviously out but so is Mo Bamba. Bamba suffered an ankle sprain last Sunday and is going to be out for at least four weeks. There is a good chance we don’t see Bamba again in the regular season.
Full Raptors injury report vs Lakers:
Otto Porter Jr. played just eight games for the Raptors before he suffered a foot injury that ultimately ended up being season-ending as he had surgery on it in January. That is nothing new for the Raptors, obviously.
New buyout signing Will Barton is on the injury report and is listed day-to-day with an illness. Barton is probable to play on Friday against the purple and gold.