Lakers sign Tristan Thompson, Shaq Harrison before finale

By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers signed center Tristan Thompson and guard Shaq Harrison on Sunday before their pivotal final game of the regular season.

The Lakers waived Davon Reed to make room on the roster before they faced the Utah Jazz.

Thompson played alongside LeBron James during his nine seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning an NBA title in 2016. He has yet to play in the NBA this season, which would be his 12th in the league.

Harrison’s 10-day contract with Portland expired this weekend after he averaged 8.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists in five appearances for the Trail Blazers. The Lakers will be his seventh NBA team, but he spent most of this season playing for the Lakers’ G League affiliate.

The Lakers acquired Reed in a four-team trade at the deadline, but he didn’t crack their rotation.

The Lakers went without a true backup center behind Anthony Davis during the lengthy injury absence of Mo Bamba, who returned to the court Friday for the first time since March 5.

Los Angeles has been one of the NBA’s most successful teams down the stretch, going 17-9 since the trade deadline. Even after a 2-10 start to the season, the Lakers (42-39) clinched a winning record with a victory over Phoenix two days ago.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports