As the Los Angeles Lakers continue to try and push towards the playoffs, the team is going to need contributions from everyone on the roster. One player who could become very important for them down the stretch is veteran Lance Stephenson.
However, his availability in the near future may be in question. Stephenson went down in pain early in the fourth quarter, requiring the Lakers to commit an intentional foul and call a timeout.
He sat on the floor stretching for a few seconds, then rose to his feet and limped off the court. Stephenson was taken to the locker room and diagnosed with a sprain of the second toe in his left foot. One bit of positive news is X-rays were negative.
Stephenson had nine points, five rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes off the bench before exiting from the win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He finished a team-best plus-14 on the night.
Stephenson is known for his toughness and energy and has proven capable to swing a game’s momentum with his efforts at times. In Wednesday night’s contest against the Pelicans, Stephenson was doing just that, having his best game in weeks.
The Lakers can ill afford any more injuries down this final stretch of the season, particularly with some uncertainty surrounding Lonzo Ball.
Reminder: Vivid Seats is the Official Ticket Reseller of LakersNation.com. New Customers use “LAKERSNATION” (all CAPS) in the Vivid Seats App on your phone and get 10% off any Lakers home game ticket order for the remainder of the season.