Health and depth will be even more important than usual for every team in the NBA this season, and the Los Angeles Lakers will do everything possible to make sure they come into the season as healthy as possible.
As such, the team held out a number of regulars in their preseason opener against the L.A. Clippers, but they didn’t come out of the game completely unscathed thanks to a minor injury to fan-favorite Alex Caruso.
While inside the bubble, Caruso dealt with a hip issue though it never affected him in any major way as he played a crucial role in the Lakers’ championship run. But in the second quarter of their preseason victory over the Clippers, Caruso was seen limping off the court and getting treatment on his hip.
Though he did briefly return later that quarter, Caruso did not touch the floor in the second half. However, according to Mike Trudell, it was just a minor hip injury that shouldn’t be much of an issue moving forward:
Alex Caruso slipped in the first half and has a sore hip flexor; they decided not to put him back in the game, but it’s nothing serious.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 12, 2020
With it being the preseason the Lakers are always going to take every precaution, especially for an important rotation player such as Caruso. There is no reason for the Lakers to risk any potential serious injury this early on.
Caruso played just 10 minutes in the preseason opener, finishing with three points and a steal, but provided his normal excellent defense and scrappy play. With the Lakers losing a couple of key defenders, Caruso will likely be relied on even more as one of the team’s primary perimeter defenders.
Talen Horton-Tucker leads Lakers to win over Clippers
Second-year guard Talen Horton-Tucker led the Lakers with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals as the Lakers won their preseason opener 87-81 over the Clippers. Kyle Kuzma added 18 points and five assists as he and Horton-Tucker led the Lakers down the stretch of an expectedly sloppy contest.
Montrezl Harrell had a double-double in his purple and gold debut with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Dennis Schroder added a pair of threes on his way to 10 points and four rebounds.
The Lakers played just nine players on the night, choosing to rest LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Markieff Morris.
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