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UPDATE: Aug. 8, 10:45 a.m. — James and Davis will both play in Saturday’s game vs. the Pacers, per Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes.
Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James (groin) and Anthony Davis (ankle) will play today against the Indiana Pacers, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 8, 2020
Small little injury, thought he had been playing a decent amount of minutes as a starter. Danny Green (hip) has been ruled out vs. the Pacers.
Lakers say Danny Green will be out with a sore right hip today against Indiana.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) August 8, 2020
So we could see Dion Waiters end up in the starting lineup? It could be James, KCP, Waiters, AD, JaVale McGee starting against Indy. Honestly, this might sound crazy, but with Myles Turner and T.J. Warren potentially out for the Pacers, Waiters could get a decent amount of run again.
UPDATE: Aug. 7, 5:32 p.m. — James is being listed as questionable to play in Saturday’s game vs. the Pacers due to a groin injury. Anthony Davis is probable again after playing in the Lakers’ loss to the Rockets on Thursday night.
UPDATE: Aug. 6, 7:38 p.m. — We’ve got a bit to go before lock but we have the Lakers starting lineup. It does not include Alex Caruso, who has been ruled out. Quinn Cook will be starting, along with Kyle Kuzma.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Alex Caruso our with sore neck. Kyle Kuzma will start with AD, KCP, Danny Green and Quinn Cook
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) August 6, 2020
Los Angeles Lakers PG/SF LeBron James will take the night off to rest Thursday vs. the Houston Rockets. James has a sore groin. Here’s the full injury report.
Lakers injury report for tonight vs. HOU:
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) August 6, 2020
Davis- sprained right ankle- PROBABLE
Morris-left hip contusion - PROBABLE
Caldwell-Pope- right ribs contusion -PROBABLE
Howard- sore right knee - PROBABLE
Caruso-left neck muscle spasms - QUESTIONABLE
James - sore right groin - OUT
So aside from King James sitting out, we have Anthony Davis on the report as probable due to an ankle injury. A few other players are probable, including Dwight Howard, who was held out Wednesday vs. the Thunder. Alex Caruso seems to be the only question mark heading into Thursday night. He’s questionable to play due to a neck injury.
Fantasy basketball and betting impact
This game was supposed to be marquee but now it’s looking pretty lackluster with only James Harden and Davis expected to be featured for both teams. With LeBron out, Davis ($10,300) becomes the chalk play of the night along with Harden ($10,700) on DraftKings. We should also see more usage for Kyle Kuzma ($4,500), so he should be a popular GPP option. If Caruso is sidelined, Quinn Cook should see more time at PG and would be an OK option. Dion Waiters ($3,700), Danny Green ($3,200) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($3,700) may also be in play.
So the line is out and we’ve given it some time to marinate. The Rockets are favored by 3.5 points and we’re still waiting for official word on Russ. If he’s out as anticipated, we could jump on the Lakers getting plus-money. L.A. still has AD and maybe LeBron sitting will wake some players up.
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