Brandon Ingram was a full participant in practice on Tuesday, but the Los Angeles Lakers said he remains questionable to play Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. Ingram missed the past two contests due to right quadriceps contusion and left quadriceps tendinitis.
“I feel great, I feel fine,” Ingram said after practice. “We ran through a few things today, went through a few plays, got some shots up.” Somehow, the injury is the first of Ingram’s career, aside from minor ankle issues and knee tendinitis last season.
He acknowledged there is discomfort in both quads, injuries that were sustained in Houston and Oakland, respectively, but remaining on the bench is testing Ingram’s patience.
“I think it’s something I definitely can fight through. I can’t sit anymore,” he said. “Whatever the trainers tell me to do, whatever recovery, whatever treatment, I’m going to do it and get back out there.”
Lakers head coach Luke Walton said he nearly “silly-fined” Ingram for “looking so good today and not playing” in the loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
“It’s different,” Ingram said of missing the last two games. “I don’t know what it means to sit out. I just try to listen to my body and the trainers. I’ll see how it feels going through shootaround (Wednesday). If it feels like it does today, I’ll definitely play.”
The Lakers’ schedule doesn’t provide for many opportunities for the 20-year-old to get rest. In a stretch that began Dec. 18, they will play at least every other day through Jan. 23.
Despite not being 100 percent, Ingram said he feels healthy but if he had one New Years resolution it would be for “fresh legs.”
“November was a really, really, really good month for me,” he added. “I just want to try to get back to that. Get back to that speed of the game and just be more effective for my teammates.”
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