Without Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers welcome Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors in NBA

LOS ANGELES – While struggling to get their top players all on the court at the same time in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Los Angeles Lakers will continue their eight-game homestand when the Golden State Warriors pay a visit on Feb 7 (Feb 8 morning, Singapore time).

Austin Reaves missed over a month of action for the Lakers with a calf injury and just as he returned during their 119-115 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb 5, Luka Doncic left the game with a hamstring injury.

Doncic will not play against the Warriors. ESPN reports there is initial optimism that he avoided a major injury, but the Lakers will have to play at least one game without the Slovenian and hope that Reaves will be up for it.

In only his second game back from injury, Reaves came off the bench and demonstrated he is ready to perform at a high level again. He scored 21 of his 35 points in the second half against the Sixers as the Lakers rallied from a 14-point third-quarter deficit.

“He was unbelievable,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said of the 27-year-old, who is restricted to 25 minutes per game for now. “He got to the free-throw line, he got in the paint and made plays and scored at the rim. It was great to see.”

LeBron James was not at his best with 17 points, but he was there for the Lakers when they needed him, scoring 10 in the fourth quarter. Now, attention turns to Doncic’s health.

“He’s our best player and the engine of a lot of the stuff that we do,” Reaves said. “Hopefully we get good news, and I wish him nothing but the best.”

The Warriors will be in Los Angeles to face the Lakers for the first time since opening the season with a 119-109 victory. Jimmy Butler scored 31 points in that game, but they will have to do without him as he has been ruled out with a season-ending injury.

Golden State traded Jonathan Kuminga for Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline on Feb 5, after their reported pursuit of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo fell short. Star guard Stephen Curry will also miss his third straight game because of right knee soreness.

The Warriors are eighth in the Western Conference but that has not stopped Draymond Green from thinking big.

“You just need a chance,” he said about making the play-offs, while referencing Golden State’s 2022 title.

“If you give yourself a shot at it, we know how to do it. I think that is a skill that probably 97 per cent of the NBA does not have. They don’t know how to do it. We actually know how,” added the four-time NBA champion.

Meanwhile in NBA action on Feb 6, the Detroit Pistons ended the New York Knicks’ eight-game winning streak by routing the Knicks 118-80 in a clash between two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

Daniss Jenkins scored 18 points off the bench while Tobias Harris and Isaiah Stewart added 15 points apiece.

The Knicks’ win streak had seen them pull level with the Boston Celtics for second place in the East, but they slipped to third after Boston erased a 22-point deficit to beat the Miami Heat 98-96.

Jaylen Brown scored 29 points and Payton Pritchard added 24 off the bench for the Celtics. REUTERS