The Los Angeles Lakers are nearly at full health as they face the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday
The Los Angeles Lakers survived their eight-game road trip with a 5-3 record, with their losses coming against the LA Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks. Now, they'll start an eight-game home stand, which will be interrupted by the All-Star break, but have them in LA till February 26th.
To kick things off, they'll play host to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, returning to the Crypto.com Arena for the first time since January 18th. The 76ers have been red hot as of late, on a five-game winning streak, as they'll look to keep dominating with their star backcourt and MVP center.
Lakers Injury Report
Luckily for the Lakers, their injury report is rather clean, with Adou Thiero being the only player listed OUT for injury with a right MCL sprain. The 36th overall pick from the 2025 NBA Draft has appeared in just 15 games this season, and has the potential to be an interesting piece for them in the future with his athletic upside.
The only other player listed is Jaxson Hayes, who is OUT due to serving a suspension.
Hayes is serving a one-game suspension due to an altercation he had with the Washington Wizards' mascot, as he shoved the mascot into a group of moving cheerleaders. Hayes played 15 minutes in the team's recent win over the Brooklyn Nets.
76ers Injury Report
The 76ers have a few more players listed, with Paul George and Jared McCain both ruled OUT, but neither for injury reasons. George is serving a suspension due to violating the league's anti-drug policy, as he'll serve a 25-game suspension.
McCain is no longer with the team after being traded for draft compensation to the Oklahoma City Thunder, as the reigning champions will hope they can get the rookie version of him, who averaged 15.3 points on 46.0% shooting from the field.
The other players listed on the report are Joel Embiid, who is QUESTIONABLE with right knee injury management, and Kelly Oubre Jr., who is AVAILABLE and will wear a brace on his left knee.
Game Preview
The highlight of this contest should be the elite guard matchup, with Philadelphia's Tyrese Maxey matching up against LA's Luka Doncic. Both rank in the Top 5 in scoring this season, with Doncic holding the top spot at 33.4 points per game.
Tip-off at the Crypto.com Arena is set for 10:00 p.m. EST, as both sides will be motivated to secure a win in a marquee game.