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If the Los Angeles Lakers manage to turn their season around and make a playoff push, it has to start on Wednesday in a tough matchup against the Denver Nuggets. The odds show the Lakers barely have a pulse when it comes to their postseason chances, but LeBron James and company aren’t completely out of it yet.
And beyond that, a loss to the Nuggets, who hold the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference, could all but put an end to their playoff hopes. Unfortunately, the Lakers will be looking to start a winning streak and beat the odds with a potentially very shorthanded roster that features multiple big names in position to miss this game.
Kyle Kuzma, who suffered an ankle injury last game against the Los Angeles Clippers is one name sidelined, but let’s take a look at the updated injury report. Beyond that, we’ll evaluate how the Lakers roster and starting lineup for the game against Denver looks.
Injury Status Updates for Kyle Kuzma & Brandon Ingram
There’s good and bad news on Kuzma’s status. The good news is that X-Rays on his ankle came back negative, but the bad is that he’ll be sidelined for this game. In turn, the Lakers are immediately down one of their better scorers, which is less-than-ideal considering they are already missing Lonzo Ball.
As Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times reported, Brandon Ingram’s status is up in the air currently. He’s listed as questionable with a sore right shoulder and is joined by Tyson Chandler and Lance Stephenson with the same designation.
Lakers say Kyle Kuzma is out for tomorrow. He will get an MRI. His X-Rays were negative on his sprained right ankle. Brandon Ingram, Tyson Chandler and Lance Stephenson are questionable.
Ingram was a late addition to the injury report last game and was scratched just a bit before tip. It seems the injury isn’t serious, and with the Lakers being so shorthanded and in desperate need of a win, it’ll be interesting to see if he pushes to play through the ailment.
With Chandler and Stephenson’s statuses also up in the air, this could lead to extended minutes for Josh Hart and possibly JaVale McGee.
Lakers Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Nuggets
*Notates expected starter
C: JaVale McGee*, Mike Muscala
PF: LeBron James*, Moritz Wagner, Johnathan Williams
SF: Josh Hart*, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SG: Reggie Bullock*, Lance Stephenson
PG: Rajon Rondo*, Alex Caruso, Isaac Bonga
Note: Tyson Chandler has been ruled out.
With Ingram and Chandler out last game, heavy minutes were given to four of the five starters along with Hart off the bench. James logged 42 minutes with Rajon Rondo (38), Reggie Bullock (36), and Kuzma (36) not far behind. Hart picked up 30 minutes for the second unit while McGee played just 13 minutes as a starter, a number that trailed Mike Muscala (15) off the bench.
The Lakers didn’t receive much production from the second unit aside from Hart, who scored 17 points and tacked on four rebounds. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope saw 20 minutes but scored just four points, and Muscala totaled six points with one made field goal.
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Lakers Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Nuggets With Brandon Ingram Update