Other than that, though, the Lakers appear to be business as usual heading into this game. They're reportedly planning to sign Markieff Morris after he secures a buyout with the Detroit Pistons.
Having Morris as a backup power forward will certainly help with the Lakers' depth issues when the playoffs come around. It will also allow Kyle Kuzma to play more minutes at small forward, making the Lakers even longer in their bench unit. The only wrinkle in this is the fact that Morris has not cleared waivers yet. Any team with available cap space can pick up his contract off waivers, meaning he would be unavailable for the Lakers to sign.
A team that could potentially pick up the veteran is the Rockets , who have the financial flexibility to sign him, but would need to release a player to make room on the roster. The deadline to claim Morris off the waiver list is 4 p. Celtics: Boston will be without Kemba Walker for the second straight game due to a sore left knee, which is likely why the Lakers are 7.
Still, the Celtics have a lot of firepower behind Walker, with Jayson Tatum coming into form over the course of the season. After earning his first All-Star nod, Tatum's been arguably Boston's best player this season. Among all forwards in the league who operate in the pick-and-roll at least four times a game, Tatum ranks behind only DeMar DeRozan in points per possession 1. Tatum leads the Celtics in scoring this season, with a career high Without Walker against the Lakers, Tatum will certainly take on more of the scoring load with Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward also needing to step up in their point guard's absence.
Boston will be outmatched with Los Angeles' size, but it has proven it can beat the Lakers once before this season. Sporting the third-ranked defense in the league, that's enough to keep this game competitive down the wire. The odds are obviously stacked against the Celtics without Walker, but they've been playing some of their best basketball as of late, and have one of the best defenses in the league.
It's hard to pick against LeBron, Davis and the Lakers at home, but Boston has been the better team lately. Even without Kemba, I think they might be able to upset the Lakers. By Scout Staff.
Feb 23, at pm ET 4 min read. Storylines Lakers: The only injury question for them is how well Anthony Davis will play after having another injury scare in their previous game.
Game prediction, pick The odds are obviously stacked against the Celtics without Walker, but they've been playing some of their best basketball as of late, and have one of the best defenses in the league. Grizzlies vs. Warriors vs. Watch Now:. The game will be played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
After a truncated season in , the NBA has returned to its standard game format for the campaign, which is the league's 75th anniversary season. California governor denies parole for Sirhan Sirhan, assassin of Robert Kennedy.
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