After two back-to-back preseason losses, the Los Angeles Lakers will be back in action tonight in front of their home crowd. The Purple & Gold will be hosting the Golden State Warriors for a second time. After failing to go past the Phoenix Suns in the opening preseason game, the LeBron-Luka-less side failed in front of the Curry-Butler-Green trio. So, will the Lakers put their best man on the hardwood to get back their lost prestige at the Crypto.com Arena?

While LA is hoping to have some of its superstars available for Sunday’s clash in Southern California, Luka Doncic remains day-to-day. This means there’s a chance that the Slovenian point guard might make his much-awaited debut against the Golden State, but nothing is confirmed just yet. Doncic has already missed each of the first two exhibition games the Lakers have played this season. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t be participating in the preseason at all.

The team’s head coach, JJ Redick, has previously confirmed that even though they are taking things slow with their star guard, he will eventually be getting on the floor for at least two games. And this week could finally be the one where Doncic starts to clock in minutes. While a lot of this has to do with the fact that the Lakers will be playing four times in the next few days, it’s also because of the sheer number of injuries on the Purple & Gold’s roster. So, let’s look at their injury report ahead of their third preseason game.

Lakers injury report ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Warriors

In their first meeting with the Warriors this preseason, the Lakers missed several stars. But coming into this game, both Austin Reaves and Marcus both being upgraded on the injury report, and fans see them suit up for limited minutes. LA, however, will miss LeBron James, who has been ruled out for not just this game but the entire preseason after he suffered a sciatica injury earlier during the offseason. However, he’s not the only player who will miss tonight’s action.

The Lakers’ long injury report includes forward Adou Thiero. The rookie is not even participating in the training sessions as things stand due to a knee injury and will most likely not be available on Sunday. Joining the former Arkansas standout is veteran Maxi Kleber. The 33-year-old big man is on a day-to-day basis due to a quadriceps issue. Although, according to ESPN, he did some individual work on Tuesday, it’s safe to say he won’t be entering the court on Sunday.

Although the Lakers will be without several of their players, there is still a lot of optimism around Southern California. The trio of Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart, and Luka Doncic might play together tonight. However, that’s a mere speculation for now, given that the Slovenian superstar is a game-day decision for JJ Redick and Co. Nonetheless, that’s all for the injury report, as now you might be wondering where to watch this game, right? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Where to watch the Lakers vs the Warriors preseason matchup?

Last time out, the Golden State Warriors took home a convincing 111-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. This marked LA’s second defeat in the preseason, and they will be looking to change that tonight at the Crypto.com Arena despite missing some key names. So, here’s where you can catch the action live within the United States:

Date: 12th September, Sunday

Time: 6:30 p.m. PT/ 9:30 p.m. ET

Where to Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet, NBA TV

Who do we think will win round two? Well, that’s a bit tricky. While it would’ve been another W for the Golden State if they had Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, that’s not the case. Both superstars are expected to miss tonight’s clash in Los Angeles. That means with Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart returning, the Purple & Gold might just have an upper hand this time.

That is, without taking into account that there’s a slight chance we might see Luka Doncic in action, who participated in the team practice recently. So, if we’re to pick a team, it would be the Lakers, as not only do they have a much more star-studded lineup this time around, but also because they will be hungry to get their first preseason win, especially in front of their home crowd, as we await tip-off.