Los Angeles Lakers News: Small forward Brandon Ingram will be sidelined tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers with a left quad injury.
Los Angeles Lakers news was not positive following Friday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors. Not only did the Lakers lose another close game to the defending champs, they lost another starter to injury.
In the game on Monday night, the Lakers lost starting center Brook Lopez to an ankle injury. On Friday, the Lakers lost small forward Brandon Ingram.
It was determined that Ingram sustained a contusion and has tendonitis in his left quad. As a result, Ingram will be missing tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Tania Ganguli shared the news on her Twitter account.
Brandon Ingram is out for tonight’s game against Portland with a right quadriceps contusion and tendinitis in his left quadriceps.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) December 23, 2017
Hopefully, this is not a serious injury. According to Rotoworld, it looked like Ingram took a shot below the belt, which could have caused the injury. The Lakers are also on the second night of a back-to-back, so they could just be showing caution with one of their budding young players.
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This is a tough blow for Ingram and the Lakers. After struggling throughout his rookie season, Ingram was blossoming during his second season. The work that he put in during the offseason was paying off, as Ingram looks like a totally different player.
Unlike last season, Ingram is oozing with confidence this season. He has increased his statistics across the board, with the biggest improvement coming offensively. After making only 40.2 percent of his shots last season and averaging 9.4 points, Ingram is up to 44.7 percent and 16 points per game.
Where Ingram has truly improved is his attacking the basket. He is averaging twice as many free throw attempts this season, improving from 2.7 to 5.4 attempts per game. Ingram’s strength training in the offseason has improved his ability to not only attack the basket but finish through contact as well.
With Ingram sidelined, the Lakers will most likely turn to Corey Brewer, Josh Hart and Jordan Clarkson to soak up more minutes. Kyle Kuzma will be the clear-cut No. 1 option offensively, as he is already leading the team with 17.7 points per game.
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Hopefully, Ingram only has to miss tonight’s game against the Trail Blazers. The Lakers will next take the court on Christmas Night against the Minnesota Timberwolves following tonight’s game.