Deandre Ayton will return to the Los Angeles Lakers lineup on Friday night after missing one game due to a right knee contusion. The team confirmed that Marcus Smart, who was previously listed as questionable with back spasms, has been ruled out for the matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.
On the Mavericks’ side, Anthony Davis is set to play his first game in 14 outings after recovering from a calf injury. This marks Davis’ first appearance at Crypto.com Arena facing the Lakers since he was traded for Luka Doncic last February. According to Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, Davis is expected to play between 24 and 27 minutes.
The Mavericks are scheduled for consecutive games this weekend, taking on both the Lakers and the L.A. Clippers. Despite this schedule, Davis indicated a preference to make his return against his former team.
With Ayton back in action for Los Angeles, the Lakers hope he can help contain Davis. Ayton has averaged 15.5 points and 8.4 rebounds over 15 games this season while shooting nearly 70 percent from the field.
The absence of Smart means that players such as Gabe Vincent, Jake LaRavia, and Dalton Knecht may see increased roles off the bench for Los Angeles.
The Lakers are aiming for their sixth straight win and could secure home-court advantage in the Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals with a victory over Dallas.
LeBron James praised new additions Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia for their impact on the team: “Listen, we could sit here and talk about how unbelievable Luka and AR have been so far. It has not surprised me. Those guys are just super, ultra talented. What they bring to the game, we already know. But what I love is what DA and Jake and Marcus have brought to the team. Another level of toughness, another level of playmaking. The other night, Marcus having seven steals in a game, DA been dominant on the glass and being very efficient offensively and also before last night I think he was top 10 in defensive percentages contested at the rim. And Jake, who is number 12 is what they were saying I think in the Minnesota game, the crowd was like who is number 12 and Ant was like I don’t know. Guys know him now. I’m just proud of what the team has been doing and being able to watch from a far. It’s great, I think we have something really good going. It’s a long season obviously, we want to continue to play good basketball. That’s most important. But I like the pieces that we added.”
