Lakers vs Nuggets injury report: Lineup for Game 3 Western Conference Finals (May 20, 2023)
Game 3 of the Lakers vs. Nuggets matchup is scheduled on Saturday, May 20, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Denver will look to take a commanding 3-0 lead, while the Lakers are trying to come back in the series with a huge victory.
The Nuggets are coming off two wins at home, both of which came down to the wire. Nikola Jokic was simply unstoppable in Game 1, while Jamal Murray took over in the fourth quarter of Game 2.
Meanwhile, LeBron James has struggled from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter. Anthony Davis had a big performance in Game 1, but was awful on Thursday night. It will be interesting to see if Davis will have a bounce back game, which is expected of him.
Lakers vs Nuggets injury report, Game 3
The LA Lakers have three players on their injury report for Game 3. Mo Bamba, Anthony Davis and LeBron James are nursing injuries heading into Saturday's matchup.
Bamba is listed as out due to left ankle soreness, which means he won't be playing in Game 3. Davis and James are both listed as probably, which means they are likely available against the Denver Nuggets.
Davis is still nursing a right foot stress injury, while James has a sore right foot. "The King" also suffered a left ankle injury in Game 2, but seems to have recovered from it already.
LeBron James steps on Anthony Davis' ankle 😬 https://t.co/G8pdsMpj9Z
Meanwhile, the Nuggets have no players listed on their injury report. All players are available for Game 3, but coach Michael Malone has limited his rotation to just eight players in the postseason.
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Projected starting lineup for the Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are expected to have the same starting lineup from Game 1 and 2:
PG - Jamal Murray
SG - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF - Michael Porter Jr.
PF - Aaron Gordon
C - Nikola Jokic
Denver has used the same starting lineup throughout the playoffs and it brings them a lot of success. They are just two wins away from their very first NBA Finals apppearance.
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Projected starting lineup for the LA Lakers
LA Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has used two different starting lineups in Game 1 and 2. He's expected to make another change to their starting five and it might look like this:
PG - Dennis Schroder
SG - Austin Reaves
SF - LeBron James
PF - Rui Hachimura
C - Anthony Davis
Hachimura has been incredible for the Lakers this series and it might be time to bring him into the starting lineup. D'Angelo Russell has struggled as a starter, so he could be more effective as a sixth man playing against the Nuggets' second unit.
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