Los Angeles

Lakers

Dončić has rejoined the team after missing two games for personal reasons, while James is back in the lineup after not playing in Friday’s loss to the Celtics. Their returns mean that Gabe Vincent and Jake LaRavia head back to the bench, with the latter offering a higher fantasy ceiling when used in a reserve role.

James is good to go after sitting out Friday’s loss to the Celtics, which was the Lakers’ second game in as many nights. His return means that Jake LaRavia will come off the bench, lowering his fantasy ceiling.

Initially questionable after sitting out Friday’s loss to the Celtics, James is on track to play Sunday evening. His return would bounce Jake LaRavia to the bench, where he offers limited fantasy value.

James did not play in Friday’s loss to the Celtics, which was the Lakers’ second game in as many nights. The fact that he remains on the injury report is somewhat concerning, but James does have a chance of playing. If he can’t, Jake LaRavia will stay in the starting lineup and is worth streaming in deep leagues.

Smart will miss a sixth straight game as he continues to deal with a strained left lumbar muscle. While his absence does not affect fantasy basketball, it means Gabe Vincent will continue to play solid minutes, even with Luka Dončić (personal) available.

Dončić missed the first two games of the Lakers’ road trip, as he was in Slovenia to witness the birth of his second child. His return to the team means that Gabe Vincent will head back to the bench, where he offers limited fantasy value at best.

LaRavia returned to the starting lineup with LeBron James (sciatica) sidelined for the second night of the Lakers’ back-to-back. LaRavia has been effective in previous starts this season, but he wasn’t able to contribute much during his 21 minutes in this game. LeBron should be back to take on the 76ers on Sunday, so LaRavia will return to the bench, which will eliminate the streaming value he held.

With Luka Dončić (personal) still sidelined, Vincent remained in the starting lineup for one more game. He was much better in this one and ended up scoring in double figures for the first time this season. Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game that Luka should be back soon, and Sunday’s game against the 76ers is a possibility. If he returns, Vincent will head to playing a reserve role, but even if he gets another start, he can’t be relied on to repeat this performance.

With both LeBron James (sciatica) and Luka Dončić (personal) sidelined, Reaves was the star of the show. That also meant he was the focal point for the Celtics defense to key in on. He started slow, but he was able to finish with a strong, efficient scoring night. Reaves has reached a new level this season, and it has led to a ton of monster performances like this one. He’ll look to stay hot against the 76ers on Sunday, even if LeBron and Luka are back.

With LeBron James unavailable for the second leg of this back-to-back, LaRavia will return to the starting lineup. LaRavia is averaging 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 triples across six starts this season.