Jake LaRavia

After a rough stretch of losses in early January, the Lakers are back to their winning ways.

LaRavia will shed his questionable tag and play through his left quad contusion. He should remain in the starting lineup, with Rui Hachimura supporting him off the bench and picking up additional minutes if LaRavia is limited.

Since making his return from a strained calf on January 13, Hachimura's playing time has increased steadily. Thursday's game was the second straight in which he logged 28 minutes, and the Lakers' forward was solid. The question now is whether Hachimura is locked into the reserve role or will he reclaim his place in the starting lineup. Jake LaRavia (7/5/1/3/4 with two three-pointers) was highly productive as a defender on Thursday, but he only played 22 minutes as the starter. That's something to be mindful of as the Lakers move forward.

James scored 22 points on Monday but could end up sitting out against Atlanta. Rui Hachimura will be back, so if James is sidelined Jake LaRavia should remain in the starting lineup, though he only had two points in 31 minutes against the Kings.

Hachimura was absent from the Lakers' injury report for Monday's game, and he was in uniform. However, he saw no action. Jake LaRavia remained in the starting lineup, playing 31 minutes and finishing with two points (1-of-7 FGs), two rebounds, three assists and one steal. During his postgame press conference, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said that Hachimura did not play since he wasn't available for both games of the back-to-back. He'll play on Tuesday against the Hawks, albeit on a severe minutes restriction.