When the Los Angeles Lakers take the court for Game 4 on Sunday, they will aim to even the series at two games apiece.
L.A. will look to leave it all out on the court to tie things up, and the good news is that they are expected to be at full strength.
The Lakers’ injury report is clear heading into Sunday, a positive sign after Luka Doncic’s illness noticeably impacted his performance in Friday night’s matchup.
On Friday, Doncic was dealing with a stomach bug. Head coach JJ Redick noted that Doncic was vomiting all day.
Lakers superstar LeBron James, who is also not on the injury report, noted after the game how Doncic’s illness was an issue for the team as a whole.
“Obviously, with his illness, it impacts our team,” said James, who led Los Angeles with 38 points, the most in NBA postseason history by a player over age 40. “We understand what he brings to our team and what he’s done since the acquisition. It definitely took a big blow for our team.”
The 26-year-old superstar was experiencing an upset stomach and chills on Thursday. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin shared how Redick said the stomach bug affected Doncic’s sleep the night before. Still, the five-time All-Star attended shootaround Friday morning and took a nap in the afternoon.
Game 3 was by far Doncic’s worst performance in a long time. In 40 minutes of action, Doncic recorded 17 points on a poor 6-of-16 shooting from the field, seven rebounds, eight assists, and one steal. He finished the game with a -16 in the plus/minus department.
In the series, Doncic now averages 28.3 points per game, 9.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.0 steals while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three in 40.7 minutes of action.
It’s not a stretch to call Game 4 a must-win for L.A. A potential 3-1 hole that the Lakers could face would not be great for their odds of winning the series. They will look to tie the series on the road and head back home for Game 5 to take care of business, where they have been such a juggernaut for most of the season.
