LA Lakers Injury Report (Dec. 31): Latest update on Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt's availability

The LA Lakers play the second night of a back-to-back on New Year's Eve against the New Orleans Pelicans. It will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams, with the Lakers blowing out the Pelicans on Dec. 7. On that note, let's look at the latest LA Lakers injury report.

The official Lakers injury report for Sunday's game will likely include LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura, and Gabe Vincent. James and Davis have had the questionable tag for more than a month but played most of the games, even back-to-backs.

D'Angelo Russell (tailbone contusion) & Cam Reddish (sore groin) will miss the game against the Pelicans on Saturday.

Hachimura is still playing with a face injury while Jarred Vanderbilt recently got the all-clear from his heel troubles, but Vincent is out after undergoing knee surgery.

The LA Lakers have had injury troubles since the start of the season. The only great news for the Lakers is that Anthony Davis and LeBron James have only missed a combined five games.

However, the problem for coach Darvin Ham is they cannot find the right combination to have the most effective squad on the floor. Injuries have affected Ham's rotations, but it's more of a personnel problem at the moment.

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LA Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans game preview

LA Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans game preview

The LA Lakers are facing the New Orleans Pelicans for the second time this season. The Lakers made quick work of the Pelicans in their first meeting in the semifinals of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada, earlier this month.

LeBron James had 30 points, five rebounds and eight assists in the 133-89 win. Anthony Davis contributed 16 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, while four more players reached double figures in scoring. Trey Murphy III had a team-high 14 points for the Pelicans.

Sunday's matchup is the 73rd meeting between the Lakers and Pelicans in the regular season.

The Lakers are ahead 45-27 in their all-time head-to-head matchup. The Lakers have also won three straight games against New Orleans but have split their last 10 clashes.

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