The Los Angeles Lakers had their big showdown with the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday and found out before the game that Dennis Schroder was going to be out due to the NBA's health and safety protocols. It's now been confirmed that he'll also miss Saturday's NBA Finals rematch with the Miami Heat, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
Dennis Schroder is out for Saturday’s Lakers-Heat game because of the league’s health and safety protocols, per the team
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 20, 2021
The Lakers are already without Anthony Davis for a month as it was announced after the Brooklyn game. In turn, the Nets defeated the Lakers 109-98 at Staples Center on Thursday.
LeBron James had 32 points with eight boards and seven assists to lead all scorers. Kyle Kuzma had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Montrezl Harrell was the only other Laker to finish in double figures.
The absence of Schroder was tough for the Lakers, even more considering they found out shortly before tip-off. His defense has been spectacular all season and head coach Frank Vogel admitted they missed him on the court in the Brooklyn game.
Schroder is averaging 14.2 points with 3.6 boards and 4.3 assists and has been the starting point guard for the Lakers all season long after being acquired via trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers started Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Wes Matthews with James and Marc Gasol, and if Schroder is out on Saturday, it will be interesting to see what Vogel decides to do with the lineup. They had to dig deep into their bench and played Quinn Cook 11 minutes and Talen Horton-Tucker 27 minutes against the Nets.
The road won't get any easier as they face the Heat, Washington Wizards, and Utah Jazz before facing the Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors to finish off the month of February. Hopefully, for the Lakers' sake, Schroder will be back soon.
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