The Los Angeles Lakers had their season-long four-game winning streak snapped on Monday in no small part due to being without Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. In the loss, Larry Nance Jr. appeared to suffer a back/hip injury that he continued to play through.
Availability of the three was in question heading into Wednesday’s matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s the final stop on the Lakers’ three-game road trip and puts them closer to the end of a stretch of playing at least every other day.
Ball indicated he didn’t expect to play because of swelling in his sprained left knee that’s limited his activity. Ingram was much more optimistic following Tuesday’s practice, and Nance was believed to be available.
According to Mike Trudell, Ball indeed will sit a second straight game, while Ingram was cleared to return:
As expected, Ball (knee) is out tonight and Ingram (ankle) is in.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 17, 2018
The Lakers officially have Ingram and Nance listed as probable. L.A. will look to capture their first win this season without Ball, having lost the previous seven such games.
The rookie point guard missed a stretch of six games due to a sprained left shoulder, with that stretch coming as part of the Lakers’ season-worst nine-game losing streak. After losing in his return, the Lakers ripped off four consecutive wins with Ball in the lineup.
While they face the prospect of playing without their starting point guard, Ingram should help stabilize and organize the offense. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also mentioned a need for him and others to be more aggressive.
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