LA Lakers Injury Report (Nov 1st): Latest update on Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt's status
For the first time this season, the LA Lakers will face their rivals, LA Clippers. The game will be played at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, November 1st, with the Lakers as hosts and tip-off time at 10:00 pm ET. The two powerhouses collided four times last year, with the Clippers sweeping the series.
The 17-time NBA champions released their official injury report, which includes several players. Cam Reddish (right foot soreness) is expected to be good to go for the contest, as he is listed as probable, yet Jalen Hood-Schifino is out with a right patellar injury.
Meanwhile, Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel bursitis) is out for another game, while Rui Hachimura is listed as doubtful with a left eye contusion and the expectation is that he will miss Wednesday's game. Hachimura is expected to sit out a second straight game, as he was not in the lineup Monday vs the Orlando Magic.
On the other hand, the Clippers have yet to release their injury report, as they were facing Orlando on Tuesday, but James Harden is not expected to make his debut with the franchise after his blockbuster trade.
LA Lakers expect to elevate their game and build chemistry moving forward
The LA Lakers are coming off a difficult 103-106 home win over the Magic, which improved their record to 2-2 after the first four games of the regular season.
The 17-time NBA champions are still dealing with a lot of ups and downs not only from game to game, but even from the first to second half. But, the players are not concerned and expect to get better as the season progresses.
"What you guys see is a team figuring it out. This isn’t the product that it will be in a month or two from now. Every game matters. Every clutch situation matters. Every practice matters. So we’re figuring it out," D'Angelo Russell, who had 28 points, on 10/14 shooting, and eight assists vs Orlando (12 of them in the fourth quarter), said, via NBA.com.
"We’re going to continue to get better. I think we’re still a little trying to figure it out, which is OK. We’re four games in. We’re going to get a lot better throughout the season, but so far we like some of the things we see," LeBron James told reporters afterwards, via NBA.com.
The LA Lakers want to play with more consistency moving forward and stay close to the top in the West, as they are considered among the favorites for the championship.