On Tuesday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers fell to their Pacific Division foes, the Golden State Warriors, in their regular-season debut, losing 119-109. Though the outcome was disappointing, the Lakers aim to rebound on Friday as they welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to their home court.
Los Angeles enters the matchup seeking its first victory of the season against a Minnesota squad that stands at 1-0. The Lakers will field a mostly healthy roster, which includes second-year guard Bronny James.
James, absent from the injury report prior to Tuesday’s game, remains off the list for the upcoming Friday contest.
The players who will be unavailable for Friday’s matchup include LeBron James, Adou Thiero, and Maxi Kleber. The 21-year-old James continues to manage an ankle injury that originated the previous week. He sat out the Lakers’ final two preseason outings, yet his name did not appear on the injury report for the season’s first official game.
Despite that clearance, James stayed on the bench throughout the Warriors contest. He shared that distinction with fellow second-year teammate Dalton Knecht. Both James and Knecht were prominent players held out by coaching staff choice.
James follows a challenging debut campaign with the Lakers. Limited to 27 appearances last year, he started just once.
During the minutes he did play, James posted averages of 2.3 points, 0.8 assists, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.3 steals per game, connecting on 31.3 percent of his shots and 28.1 percent from beyond the arc across 6.7 minutes of playing time.
Los Angeles drafted James in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, securing him at the 55th overall selection. He spent a single season at USC as a one-and-done prospect.
In that year with the Trojans, James recorded 4.8 points, 2.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.8 steals per contest, shooting 36.6 percent overall and 26.7 percent from three-point range in 19.3 minutes per appearance.
The Lakers and Timberwolves will square off for the first of three scheduled meetings this regular season.
