The Los Angeles Lakers fell to 18-37 Wednesday night when they were defeated by the Detroit Pistons 121-102.
While the Lakers were completely healthy for the game, Walton stuck with the same rotations that he used Monday night when they beat the New York Knicks, as Tarik Black and Brandon Ingram got the start in the front court, Luol Deng was moved to the second unit and former starting center Timofey Mozgov did not get in for the second straight game.
The second unit was still anchored by guards Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson, as the pair have been two of the top bench scorers in the NBA this season.
Going into Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Walton has not indicated whether he intends to change up those rotations.
But it may be something he has to consider, as both Williams and Clarkson are dealing injuries. According to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters, Clarkson is listed as questionable with a thumb sprain and Williams is listed as probable with an ankle sprain:
Lakers are listing Jordan Clarkson as questionable tom. w/ a right thumb sprain. Lou Williams is listed as probable with a mild ankle sprain
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) February 9, 2017
Williams is currently the leading bench scorer in the NBA at 18.4 points per game, which is a career-high for the 12th year guard.
Clarkson is also ranks in the top 10 in bench scoring at 13.8 points per game while shooting a career-high 45.0 percent from the field.
Neither player missed any time is Wednesday’s loss due to the injuries, so it may be safe to assume that both will be ready to go Friday. If either of them is forced to miss the game, veteran point guards Jose Calderon and Marcelo Huertas could see an uptick in their playing time.
