After the initial stumble against the Golden State Warriors, the LA Lakers have stolen two back-to-back wins. And after a solid 127-120 win against the Sacramento Kings last night, the Lakers will host the Portland Trail Blazers in their first back-to-back game of the season. While L.A. will hope to improve upon its 2-1 record this season, it will be an uphill battle for them tonight. Not even a month into the season, the historic franchise is already without LeBron James, and now there are question marks around others as well.

This includes their shooting guard, Austin Reaves. The 27-year-old put up a sensational performance last night as he erupted for 51 points against the Kings. Not just that, Reaves also grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 9 assists to wrap up his career-high night. But now the question is whether he will suit up for tonight’s back-to-back action or not? Well, he will. This comes as a result of AR not being on any injury report as of writing.

So far, apart from his staggering outing last night, Reaves has been pretty solid in the backcourt alongside Luka Doncic. The six-foot-five guard is averaging around 34 points along with 7.7 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game while shooting 56.6 percent from the field. His impressive stat line early into the season should give you an idea of just how much he’s stepped up his game from last season. Nonetheless, while this indicates that Austin Reaves is ready for some action tonight, unfortunately, the same cannot be said for a few of his teammates.

Los Angeles Lakers injury report prior to their clash with the Trail Blazers

As we’ve already mentioned, the Purple & Gold have been facing some severe injury concerns just three games into the season. Well, it all started with their franchise player, LeBron James, who suffered a sciatica injury in the preseason. The Lakers veteran has not only missed the entire preseason because of this, but has yet to make his debut in the regular season as well. It goes without saying that James’ absence is quite daunting for Los Angeles. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The franchise’s other superstar has also joined LeBron James on the sidelines, as Luka Doncic has also suffered an injury. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Slovenian point guard has suffered a finger/leg injury that will keep him out for at least a week. Now, that’s devastating news for the Lakers, to say the least. More so, given that Doncic had been enjoying a sensational start to his first full year at the organization. Over the two games the five-time All-NBA guard played this season, he averaged 46 points.

Not just that, Doncic also averaged 11.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists while shooting 62 percent from the field. But now even he won’t be there for his team as they take on Portland. Meanwhile, Maxi Kleber and Adou Thiero will also miss tonight’s matchup. Both players have been ruled out due to an oblique strain and a knee injury, respectively. But the list doesn’t even end with these two players, as LA could also be without a couple more of their rotational players who are doubtful for this clash.

This includes big man Jaxson Hayes and veteran guard Gabe Vincent. While Hayes remains questionable due to a knee injury because of which prevented him from participating in last night’s game, Vincent is doubtful after suffering a sprain in his left ankle. Now that’s a long injury list if we’ve ever seen one. Naturally, this makes you wonder how head coach JJ Redick will field his starting five tonight amid so many absentees, so why don’t we take a look at that?

Los Angeles Lakers predicted starting five for tonight’s game

With the sheer amount of injuries that the Los Angeles Lakers are entering tonight’s back-to-back game, it’s safe to assume that head coach JJ Redick will be forced to think about his starting five. While Austin Reaves looks pretty much nailed on the lineup, who else will the LA head coach trust tonight?

So, here’s how we think the Lakers could start:

So this is how Los Angeles’ starting lineup could look. Well, it’s safe to say that this is nowhere near their strongest possible lineup, but given the amount of injuries on their roster, it’s the best of what’s available at their disposal. Now it will be worth watching whether a LeBron James and Luka Doncic-less Lakers team can get the better of Portland or not, as we await tip-off.