Getty Brandon Ingram #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes for a layup against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Lakers guard Brandon Ingram is “out” tonight as Los Angeles hosts the Denver Nuggets Wednesday night (10:30 p.m. EST, ESPN), confirms Lakers social media.
Southern California News Group’s Kyle Goon reported that Ingram and Lance Stephenson’s statuses were still up in the air tonight, while Kyle Kuzma and Tyson Chandler are out. Lance Stephenson, per Mike Truedell, will suit up.
Ingram missed Monday against the Clippers (a 113-105 Lakers loss).
With Los Angeles sporting a 30-34 mark and sitting outside the Western Conference playoff picture, the Lakers need all hands on deck to fight for the No. 8 seed. They currently have a 99 percent chance at missing the postseason, including just under 1 percent at the final spot (per Playoff Status).
According to Silver Screen and Roll, Ingram didn’t practice with the team Tuesday. If he sits another game, the Lakers will have to find a No. 2 scorer that can replace his 18.3 points a game.
Luke Walton said the Lakers had a film session, then only 8 active bodies for on court work. Kyle Kuzma (ankle) got treatment all day, while Brandon Ingram (shoulder) also didn’t practice. As mentioned a moment ago, Kuzma is out, and Ingram questionable vs. Denver.
Here’s the roster outlook and lineup with Ingram possibly absent tonight.
Lakers Roster and Lineup vs. Nuggets
Head coach Luke Walton chose to start Reggie Bullock, a 6-foot-7 guard they received from Detroit last month. Against the Clippers, he mustered just 7 points on 3-for-10 shooting, including 0-for-7 from behind the arc. Over the last 3 games, the career 39 percent 3-point gunner has made just 2-of-13 attempts from deep.
Without Ingram or Kuzma, there’s really nowhere else for the Lakers to turn for a perimeter scorer with size. Bullock theoretically fills that role, as he’s averaged 11.7 points this season with both Detroit and Los Angeles.
Should Ingram play, Los Angeles will have plenty of offense. The former Duke Blue Devil has eclipsed 23 points in the last 6 outings, including a 31-point outburst last weekend against Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee.
How are Lakers fans feeling missing the bulk of Lebron James’ supporting cast Silver Screen and Roll demonstrated a severe lack of confidence.
Earlier this season, we saw how the Lakers looked without James, their leading scorer, and it wasn’t pretty. However, we’ve yet to see what James looks like without his second and third options on offense.
If the Lakers are getting blown out by bad teams like the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies with Ingram and Kuzma each averaging nearly 20 points per game, how are they going to look with them sidelined?
There’s a decent chance we’ll find out on Wednesday when Los Angeles takes on Denver, who are the No. 2 team in the Western Conference. As Samuel L. Jackson once said, hold onto your butts.
Lakers Outlook Tonight vs. Rockets
Team Rankings gives Los Angeles a 43.7 percent chance of topping the Nuggets, the No. 2 team in the West. At some point, Los Angeles will have to win these 50-50 games if they want to even sniff the NBA Playoffs.
Playoff Status calculates that the playoff chances would move up a percentage point with an upset tonight. The teams have split the season series, with the Lakers winning the first game 121-114 all the way back in October.
The Nuggets routed Los Angeles 117-85 in Colorado during Thanksgiving weekend.