Luka Doncic is available for the Los Angeles Lakers’ Friday matchup with the Golden State Warriors, but Los Angeles is still waiting on Ziaire Williams ahead of the teams’ NBA Cup opener.
Doncic is no longer listed on the injury report after missing Wednesday’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Williams remains questionable with left foot/heel injury management, leaving the Lakers with an unresolved decision on the wing as they prepare for a rematch with Golden State.
The NBA’s Friday morning report retains Williams’ designation and lists Walker Kessler as available despite a left finger splint.
The distinction matters for Los Angeles: Doncic’s availability restores its primary offensive creator, while Williams’ status could still affect how coach JJ Redick distributes minutes around him.
Lakers injury report vs. Warriors
The NBA’s injury report issued at 6 a.m. ET Friday includes four Lakers. Doncic is not among them.
| Player | Status | Listed reason |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron Carr | Out | Right oblique strain |
| Walker Kessler | Available | Left finger splint |
| Adou Thiero | Out | Left knee injury management |
| Ziaire Williams | Questionable | Left foot/heel injury management |
Those designations are from the morning edition and can change before tipoff. Williams has not been ruled out in that report, and Kessler’s inclusion should not be confused with an uncertain playing status: He is expressly listed as available.
Carr and Thiero remain unavailable, limiting the Lakers’ options beyond the players already in Redick’s rotation. Williams is the lone Laker listed as questionable, making his availability the remaining injury decision to watch among the four names above.
What Luka Doncic’s return means for the Lakers
Doncic and Williams both missed Wednesday’s game. Doncic’s issue was back tightness and Williams’ was left foot soreness.
Before that game, Redick explained the circumstances behind the absences in remarks shared by Lakers Daily.
“Both those guys woke up with some soreness and tightness today,” Redick said.
That comment concerned Wednesday’s absences, rather than a new diagnosis for Friday. The subsequent removal of Doncic from the report gives the Lakers a different offensive outlook entering Golden State, even with Williams’ availability unresolved.
Los Angeles did not need Doncic to get past the Clippers, but it needed contributions from other ball-handlers and scorers. Quentin Grimes scored 23 points, and Collin Sexton added 21 in the 103-87 victory, which improved the Lakers to 4-1.
Doncic’s return means those supporting players will not have to cover the same offensive responsibilities they handled in his absence. Austin Reaves also gets another creator alongside him, giving Redick more ways to organize the offense across different combinations.
The wing rotation remains a separate question. If Williams cannot play, the Lakers would again need other options to absorb his minutes.
If he is cleared, Redick would have another choice available against a Warriors team coming off a productive night from its two leading scorers. Wednesday also gave Jarred Vanderbilt an opportunity after he did not play in the first four games.
He contributed alongside Sandro Mamukelashvili during the win. That performance provides context for Redick’s options, but it does not establish that either player will receive the same role Friday.
Warriors injury report vs. Lakers
Golden State’s side of the same Friday morning NBA report includes three players ruled out and one listed as doubtful.
| Player | Status | Listed reason |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Butler III | Out | Right ACL repair/surgery |
| Moses Moody | Out | Left patellar tendon repair/surgery |
| Kristaps Porzingis | Out | Not with team |
| Gui Santos | Doubtful | Left knee tendinitis |
Porzingis’ absence is categorized as “not with team,” rather than an injury in that report. Santos is doubtful, which is also distinct from the out designations assigned to Butler, Moody and Porzingis.
Stephen Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg are not listed. Their absence from the report is relevant to a matchup in which Los Angeles must account for both, regardless of the Warriors’ other unavailable players.
Lakers face Curry and Lendeborg in NBA Cup opener
Curry scored 44 points and Lendeborg added 26 in Wednesday’s 119-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Curry also went 16-for-16 at the free-throw line.
That production gives the Lakers a concrete challenge beyond getting their own lineup healthy. They will be facing a backcourt scoring threat in Curry and a rookie who has just delivered another substantial offensive performance.
The Lakers forced mistakes in their last outing, collecting 15 steals against the Clippers.
“We have the makeup to be a decent defensive team, if not a really good defensive team,” Redick said.
Carrying that defensive activity into Friday would help Los Angeles create opportunities outside its half-court offense. Williams’ status is part of that picture, but the responsibility extends to the available perimeter players and Kessler behind them.
The Lakers won the teams’ opening-night meeting by 22 points. Friday gives Golden State another opportunity against Los Angeles, with the added significance of beginning NBA Cup group play.
The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST, with the Warriors hosting. Doncic’s availability is established by his removal from the report, but a confirmed starting five is a separate announcement.
Williams’ final designation will help determine which combinations Redick can use around Doncic, Reaves and Kessler.
For now, the Lakers have their primary offensive creator available again. The remaining availability question is whether Williams can join him against a Warriors team whose injury list leaves Curry and Lendeborg clear to play.
