Lakers' Austin Reaves: Scorches Raptors for 44 points
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Reaves tallied 44 points (13-21 FG, 5-11 3Pt, 13-15 FT), five rebounds and 10 assists in 41 minutes during Thursday's 123-120 victory over Toronto.
Reaves propelled the Lakers to victory by putting together an elite shooting performance. He was dialed in from downtown, connecting for three or more triples for a fourth straight game. This was a nice bounce-back showing out of the Oklahoma product, who was held to 16 points Monday against the Suns. Outside of Monday's dud, Reaves has had his way as a scorer of late, averaging 32.4 points over his last five appearances.
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Lakers' Gabe Vincent: Starting Thursday
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Vincent is in the starting lineup for Thursday's game in Toronto, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.
Vincent is back in the starting lineup with Luka Doncic (personal) taking the night off, and he'll be joined in the first unit by Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton. Over four starts this season, Vincent has posted averages of 4.3 points and 2.8 assists per game.
Doncic won't play in Thursday's game against the Raptors for personal reasons, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
Doncic will be sidelined for the opening leg of a back-to-back set on the road, and given the personal nature of his absence, it seems like a Friday absence is possible as well. The superstar guard has scored at least 30 points in seven straight games. With Marcus Smart (injury management) also sidelined Thursday, Gabe Vincent, Bronny James and Gabe Vincent could see an uptick in minutes.
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Lakers' Marcus Smart: Out again Thursday
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Smart (back) will not play Thursday against the Raptors, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
Smart will sit out for a fourth consecutive game Thursday. That's the front end of a back-to-back set, so it's possible the guard could return Friday against the Celtics. Gabe Vincent, Jaka LaRavia and Dalton Knecht could pick up some extra run Thursday, especially with Luka Doncic (personal) also out.
Kleber notched five points (2-4 FG, 1-2 3Pt), three rebounds and two assists in 10 minutes during Monday's 125-108 loss to the Suns.
While Kleber set his season high in scoring Monday, it felt like the entire Lakers team was sluggish as they got routed by Phoenix at home. Kleber has not been a big contributor off the bench at all, averaging just 2.0 points and 1.9 rebounds across 11.7 minutes this season.
James accumulated 10 points (3-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT) and three assists over 31 minutes during Monday's 125-108 loss to the Suns.
The Lakers were a perfect 4-0 with James in the lineup before Monday night, but the 23-year veteran mustered just 10 points and three assists for the entire game in a losing effort. Across five games, James has scored more than 20 points only once. While the trend of lower scoring totals for the Lakers star may continue, low rebounding and assist totals are likely still an anomaly.
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Lakers' Austin Reaves: Cools off slightly
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Reaves chipped in 16 points (6-12 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes during Monday's 125-108 loss to the Suns.
Reaves finished with his second-lowest scoring total of the year, ending a streak of three consecutive games with 30 or more points. His rebound and assist totals were also below his season averages, as the Lakers were lackluster overall on the second night of a back-to-back. He'll have a few days of rest before the team's next game Thursday in Toronto.
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Lakers' Luka Doncic: Extends 30-point streak
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Doncic closed Monday's 125-108 loss to Phoenix with 38 points (15-26 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 5-5 FT), 11 rebounds and five assists across 32 minutes.
Doncic has scored 30 or more points in seven consecutive games now, as his league-best scoring average has increased to 35.3 points per game. He collected 11 rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes of play in the team's second game in as many nights. On the defensive end, it was only Doncic's third outing this season without registering a steal or block.
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Lakers' Gabe Vincent: Not starting Monday
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Vincent won't start Monday against the Suns, Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com reports.
With LeBron James (foot) back in action, Vincent will retreat to the second unit. Over four outings off the bench this season, the 29-year-old guard has averaged 3.8 points while shooting 55.6 percent from the field in 19.3 minutes per contest.
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Lakers' Marcus Smart: Another absence coming
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Smart (back) will not play Monday against the Suns, Dan Woike of The Athletic reports.
Smart will be held out for a third consecutive game Monday but is being considered day-to-day by the team, per Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com. His next chance to play comes Thursday against the Raptors. Gabe Vincent, Jaka LaRavia and Dalton Knecht could be a bit more involved in the meantime.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Good to go Monday
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James (foot) is available for Monday's game against Phoenix, Dan Woike of The Athletic reports.
After missing Sunday's win over the Pelicans, which was the front end of a back-to-back set, James is no longer appearing on the injury report. With the veteran being well rested, it's unlikely he will face restrictions against the Suns.
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Lakers' Deandre Ayton: Omitted from injury report
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Ayton (knee) is off the injury report for Monday's game against the Suns, Dan Woike of The Athletic reports.
After leaving Sunday's win over the Pelicans due to right knee soreness, Ayton is good to go Monday and shouldn't have any restrictions. The star big man has averaged 16.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 29.5 minutes per tilt across 17 games this season.
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