The Los Angeles Lakers announced Brandon Ingram is active and will start against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Sunday matchup is the final stop on the Lakers’ five-game road trip in which they’re 2-2.
Ingram was questionable heading into the game due to right groin tightness that he was treated for following Friday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets. It put a damper on what was otherwise a positive night for Ingram and several Lakers who had big performances.
Ingram nearly recorded a triple-double as he finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and a career-high 10 assists. He served as the Lakers de facto point guard, as Lonzo Ball remained sidelined by an MCL sprain and Josh Hart replaced Tyler Ennis in the starting lineup.
Lakers head coach Luke Walton also said using Ingram as a point guard was in effort to get the second-year forward to play with the same aggression he had prior to suffering an ankle injury.
The Lakers may be looking for more of the same in the finale of their road trip, as they’ll send out the same lineup used against the Nets, per team reporter Mike Trudell:
Brandon Ingram (sore groin) will start today. Same line up as last game where he played a lot of PG. He’s joined by Josh Hart, KCP, Julius Randle and Brook Lopez.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) February 4, 2018
Hart is coming off a game in which he set a career high with 14 rebounds. He was also active in the passing lanes, which the Lakers will need if they’re to slow Carmelo Anthony, Paul George and Russell Westbrook.
The Thunder have won each of the first two head-to-head meetings this season by an average of 30.5 points. The Lakers will host Oklahoma City on Thursday, the same day as the NBA trade deadline, for their final matchup of the season.
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