LA Lakers vs Orlando Magic: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - April 26th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
The LA Lakers will begin their short two-game road trip to the East Coast when they take on the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center on Monday night.
The Lakers are on a three-game skid and will be aiming to win this game and rediscover their mojo soon. They lost their last game to the Dallas Mavericks 93-108 after a poor display in the second half.
Ben McLemore started for the Lakeshow for the first time and produced a team-high 20-point performance. Anthony Davis played for 28 minutes and scored 17 points on the night.
The Orlando Magic, on the other hand, lost their fifth straight game on Sunday night. They lost 112-131 against the Indiana Pacers.
The Magic went in shorthanded and were dominated in the second half, conceding a 26-point lead by the end of the third quarter. Dwayne Bacon led the team with 20 points on the night.
LA Lakers vs Orlando Magic - Injury Report
LA Lakers
The LA Lakers have a number of players listed on their injury report for the game against the Orlando Magic.
LeBron James (ankle) and Jared Dudley (MCL tear) are the only players ruled out. King James could return in a few weeks, while there is no timetable available for Dudley's return. Dudley will likely remain sidelined until the end of the season.
Anthony Davis (calf), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (ankle) and Marc Gasol (finger) are all listed as probable for this game. As per reports, their inclusion in the lineup will be a game-time decision.
Dennis Schroder is the only player listed as questionable because of a calf injury. His inclusion in the lineup will be a game-time decision as well.
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic have a long list of players in their injury report. Terrence Ross (back) and James Ennis (calf) are listed as day-to-day for the game against the LA Lakers.
Meanwhile, five players have been ruled out indefinitely or for the remainder of the season. The list includes Jonathan Isaac (knee), Marekelle Fultz (knee), Otto Porter (foot), Michael Carter-Williams (ankle), and Devin Cannady (leg), who suffered a brutal injury against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.
LA Lakers vs Orlando Magic - Predicted Lineups
LA Lakers
The LA Lakers are likely to change their lineup for this game. Schroder has been playing relentlessly, and even though he is listed as questionable, the Lakers might opt to rest him against the short-handed Orlando Magic.
Talen Horton-Tucker could start in his place at the point guard position, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could make his return and replace Ben McLemore as the shooting guard.
Meanwhile, Kyle Kuzma and Andre Drummond are likely to retain their place in the lineup and will feature on the frontcourt alongside Anthony Davis, who looked good physically in the last two games.
The likes of Markieff Morris, Alex Caruso and Montrezl Harrell are expected to receive the most amount of playing time among the reserves.
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic will likely play the same starting five from their last game.
Cole Anthony and Gary Harris are expected to start in the backcourt, while Chuma Okeke, Dwayne Bacon and Wendell Carter Jr. will pair up on the frontcourt.
From the reserves, Mohamed Bamba. R.J. Hampton and Chasson Randle are expected to play the most minutes. If Terrence Ross is available for this game, he might play a huge role coming off the bench as well.
LA Lakers vs Orlando Magic - Predicted Starting 5s
LA Lakers
Point Guard - Talen Horton-Tucker l Shooting Guard - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope l Small Forward - Kyle Kuzma l Power Forward - Anthony Davis l Center - Andre Drummond
Orlando Magic
Point Guard - Cole Anthony l Shooting Guard - Gary Harris l Small Forward - Chuma Okeke l Power Forward - Dwayne Bacon l Center - Wendell Carter Jr.