Lakers sign Tristan Thompson, Shaq Harrison before finale

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.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have a good chance of getting past at least their first play-in game after locking in a meeting with the drama-riddled Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Lakers got the job done against the Jazz but Golden State’s win over Portland meant they would have to win one more game to earn a meeting with the Memphis Grizzlies in the playoffs.

In case you missed it, Timberwolves star Rudy Gobert was sent home after punching teammate Kyle Anderson while Jaden McDaniels injured his right hand after punching a wall in the win over New Orleans.

The loser of the Pelicans-Lakers game will still have another shot to earn a playoff berth but will face the top seed Nuggets.

Elsewhere, Australian duo Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels were once teammates but will be opponents as the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans square off in the play-in tournament.