The Los Angeles Lakers (40-24) are looking for answers amid LeBron James’ groin strain, and ideally, they are usually going to come in the form of star guard and midseason trade acquisition Luka Doncic. Well, that will not be the case on Friday night. The 2023-24 scoring champion will not play versus the Denver Nuggets (42-24) due to left calf injury management and a right ankle sprain, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Doncic played in Thursday’s 126-106 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, so there is a chance the team wants to be cautious, especially since James could still be sidelined for a few more games. The injury troubles extend beyond the Lakers’ top players, however, as illustrated by ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel. Lakers’ other injuries for Nuggets face-off Head coach JJ Redick will continue to lack depth in his front court, as Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber are all listed out as well. Defensive-minded forward Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Gabe Vincent are both doubtful because of left ankle and left knee management, respectively. Center Trey Jemison III is questionable with an illness. If he is unable to suit up, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets might be waiting in the paint with a fork and knife. Regardless of his status, Austin Reaves and LA will need to dig deep to overcome this downpour of injury adversity. And that has not gone so well during the last couple of contests. James’ amazing age-40 campaign is becoming even more impressive, just based on how the Lakers have looked in his absence. They blew a 15-point lead to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday and were outmatched by the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. Luka Doncic exploded for a 45-point double-double in the Fiserv Forum, and the team still lost by 20. One generational talent alone is not enough to carry a franchise in this challenging league. Los Angeles requires reinforcements. Apart form LeBron James, Hachimura and Hayes were both instrumental in the Lakers soaring into second place in the Western Conference. Jemison has also given Redick key minutes. Perhaps he can do the same in Denver. LA is presently tied with the Houston Rockets for fourth in the standings, one game behind the Memphis Grizzlies and Nuggets. A gutsy performance in Ball Arena would send a strong message that this group is far deeper than people might realize.