Ahead of their matchup tonight (well, this afternoon on the West Coast, since it tips off at 4 p.m. PT in Philadelphia), it appears that your ailing Los Angeles Lakers will be squaring off against a similarly banged-up Philadelphia 76ers club.
Beyond that, there are other intriguing commonalities as well. Both clubs have emerged as legitimate contenders to make it out of their respective conferences next spring and both are anchored around two of the best centers of their generation.
We’ve already established that power forwards Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura and reserve point guard Gabe Vincent, all rotation players for Darvin Ham (though presumably none of them would start when the team is fully healthy), remain out tonight.
The fates of three Los Angeles starters, however, remain up in the air. Center Anthony Davis (probable with a left adductor/hip spasm), forward LeBron James (questionable with a left calf contusion), and shooting guard Cam Reddish (questionable with a left groin strain) all seem likely to be late-afternoon decisions.
Per the latest league injury report, three Philadelphia 76ers rotation pieces are also going to be on the shelf.
Starting small forward Kelly Oubre Jr., inked to an absolute steal of a veteran’s minimum contract this summer for some reason, continues to recuperate from his rib fracture he suffered in a car accident. Shooting guard Jaden Ivey is unavailable with an illness, while veteran swingman Danuel House Jr. will be sidelined with a lingering left quad contusion.
Of those three, Oubre will certainly be the most missed. In his eight healthy games this season (five starts), the veteran wing out of Kansas is averaging 16.3 points on .500/.378/.750 shooting splits, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals a night.
All three of the Sixers’ two-way contract signings — Ricky Council IV, Javonte Smart and Terquavion Smith — will all be inactive tonight, as well.
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