Lakers Face Pacers Amid Injury Concerns, Await Doncic Debut

Los Angeles, California, Feb. 10 – The Los Angeles Lakers prepare to host the Indiana Pacers Saturday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena, but the game will be overshadowed by a lengthy injury report that includes superstar Luka Doncic, who remains sidelined with a left calf strain. Doncic, acquired in a blockbuster trade from the Dallas Mavericks, is expected to make his Lakers debut Monday against the Utah Jazz.

The Lakers, winners of four straight and eight of their last nine games, will also be without LeBron James, listed as out due to left ankle soreness. Austin Reaves, a key contributor averaging 18.5 points and 6.1 assists per game, is questionable with a left elbow contusion but is expected to play. Center Mark Williams, recently acquired from the Charlotte Hornets, remains questionable as his trade is pending.

The Pacers, who have won five of their last six games, will be without Myles Turner due to a cervical strain. Indiana enters the matchup in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, while the Lakers sit fifth in the Western Conference, just 1.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for third place.

“He’s got great hands, catches the ball above the rim, can finish, gives us a defensive paint presence,” Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka said of Mark Williams. “There’s a lot of teams in the West that have formidable size that are around the standings with us, Memphis and Houston and OKC. And we just felt like we needed to address that, and we felt like we got the perfect guy.”n

The game, originally slated to be Doncic’s Lakers debut, was selected by ESPN before the superstar’s return was delayed. Despite the absence of key players, the matchup promises to showcase two of the league’s hottest teams as they jockey for playoff positioning.