Ahead of tomorrow's critical Game 3 in the Target Center, the Los Angeles Lakers released a major update on the state of their roster. Following another hard-fought campaign, the Lakers are finally healthy, and they will have a clean injury report for the first time in weeks.
According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the only player who is unavailable for the Lakers tomorrow is Maxi Kleber, who is still in recovery from right foot surgery. Having last played since late January, Kleber has yet to make his Lakers debut, but he's making steady progress and could take the court for his team later in this postseason.
Kleber, 33, isn't a high-impact player in the league, but his size and shooting ability could provide a significant boost for the Lakers, who have already been exposed for their thin frontcourt. Unfortunately, the timetable for his return has yet to be revealed, and the fans are less than optimistic that he'll play before the end of their playoff run.
After going 50-32 without Kleber, the Lakers don't need him to compete, but they do need LeBron James at full strength. After being on the injury report in Game 2, and scoring 21 points on 42.1% shooting, fans worried that James was still dealing with a nagging injury that could have compromised his health for the series.
Those theories were quickly disproven today with LeBron not even being listed as questionable for the game. At this stage of his career, LeBron James is all about the playoffs, and even if he wasn't quite at full strength, it would take a lot for him to miss such a pivotal game in the first round.
Besides Rob Dillingham, who is day-to-day with an ankle injury, the Timberwolves are also at full strength, and they'll have everyone available for their first playoff game of the year in their home arena.
With both teams at full strength and nearly identical in record, this series is likely to go the distance, and it's going to take everything to come out on top. In Game 1, we saw Minnesota dominate the Lakers with size and physicality down low, but LA responded with a balanced scoring effort in Game 2.
After much preparation, LeBron James and JJ Redick feel they have this matchup figured out, and they like their chances to advance into round two. First, however, they'll have to take care of business and steal at least one of these next two games on the road. At full strength, with no restrictions, the Lakers can give everything they have to take down the Timberwolves, but it's not going to be easy, and the series has only just begun.
The best hope for the Purple and Gold is trusting in JJ Redick's game plan and leaning on their stars (Luka Doncic and LeBron James) to deliver when needed. If they can find victory tonight and go up 2-1 in the series, it will put all the pressure on the Timberwolves to secure Game 4 to avoid a 3-1 hole. With nearly everyone in play, there are no excuses in this matchup, and only the better team will win.
