The Los Angeles Lakers are slated to take on the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, and as it turns out, they will enter the tough back-to-back set extremely shorthanded.

Aside from Anthony Davis, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel has just confirmed that the defending champs will be without two more players for their upcoming games (h/t Dave McMenamin of ESPN):

The details as to why both Marc Gasol and Kostas Antetokounmpo have been placed under the NBA's health and safety protocols are unclear, but we're hoping that these are nothing more than contact tracing efforts. The pair may have been exposed to an individual who has returned a positive COVID-19 test result. Hopefully, none of the other players on the squad have been exposed. That's the last thing L.A. needs right now.

The Lakers have lost two of their last three games dating back to before the All-Star break. They have lost a bit of steam at the top of the Western Conference as they sit at the third spot. L.A. is now three and a half games behind the league-best Utah Jazz.

As for Davis, it was recently reported that the 28-year-old big man will be re-evaluated after two weeks. His initial four-week timetable for a strained calf will now extend to at least five weeks, and the Lakers will be without their star for several more games. In the meantime, LeBron James will be tasked to do most of the heavy-lifting for the defending champs sans AD.