The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Washington Wizards amid an eight-game road trip at the Capital One Arena on Friday. The Lakers are 28-18, sixth in the Western Conference. They have won three of their five outings away in this stretch.
In their most recent outing on Wednesday, the Purple and Gold endured a 129-99 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Luka Doncic got injured amid a hot run in the first quarter, which derailed Los Angeles after a solid start. While Doncic returned to play 30 minutes and score 29 points on 12 of 20 shots, the Lakers couldn’t avoid another road loss against LeBron James’ former team.
Meanwhile, the Wizards are 12-34. They have won their last two consecutive games, securing a perfect start to a five-game home stand. However, it will be an uphill battle on Friday against potentially a fully healthy Lakers team. Washington is also playing on the second night of a back-to-back. The East bottom feeders beat the Milwaukee Bucks 109-99 on Thursday.
The Lakers are nine-point favorites to win. Austin Reaves could make his return for the first time since Christmas, but Luka Doncic might miss this clash. Both the team’s leading scorers are questionable.
Meanwhile, the Wizards could also have a lengthy injury report. Khris Middleton and Tre Johnson are day-to-day. Tristan Vucevic, Marvin Bagley III, Cam Whitmore and Trae Young are sidelined.
Lakers vs. Wizards Starting Lineup and Depth Chart Tonight (Jan. 30)
Lakers starting lineup and depth chart
The Lakers could start Luka Doncic and Marcus Smart in the backcourt. Jake LaRavia will play at small forward, LeBron James will be the power forward and Deandre Ayton will retain his place at center. If Luka Doncic is out, Gabe Vincent could start at point guard. Austin Reaves will likely come off the bench if available.
| PG | Luka Doncic* | Austin Reaves* | Bronny James |
| SG | Marcus Smart | Gabe Vincent | |
| SF | Jake LaRavia | Jarred Vanderbilt | Dalton Knecht |
| PF | LeBron James | Rui Hachimura | Drew Timme |
| C | Deandre Ayton | Jaxson Hayes | Maxi Kleber |
Wizards starting lineup and depth chart
The Wizards could start Tre Johnson and Bilal Coulibaly in the backcourt. Khris Middleton, Keyshawn George and Alex Sarr will likely be the frontcourt trio.
| PG | Tre Johnson* | Bub Carrington | Sharife Cooper |
| SG | Bilal Coulibaly | Malaki Branham | AJ Johnson |
| SF | Khris Middleton* | Justin Champagnie | Jamir Watkins |
| PF | Keyshawn George | Will Riley | |
| C | Alex Sarr | Skal Labissiere | Anthony Gill |
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