On Friday night, the Los Angeles Lakers will be without both Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Injuries have been a major storyline for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, but they haven’t let them become an excuse. Recently, the Lakers have been without both Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram.
Ball suffered a knee contusion against the Dallas Mavericks and Ingram suffered a concussion one game later against the Milwaukee Bucks. Since then, both have been out. In addition to Ball dealing with the knee contusion, he has also been feeling under the weather.
Without both Ball and Ingram, things have not been easy for the Lakers. Against the Sacramento Kings, the Lakers had arguably one of their worst games of the season, as they scored just 83 points in a loss. While they played much better in their next game against the Utah Jazz, it still resulted in a loss.
Earlier in the week, the Lakers were able to get a really nice win against the San Antonio Spurs without both Ball and Ingram. In the overtime thriller, Kyle Kuzma continued to play excellent basketball, and Josh Hart being back in the lineup has been a good thing for the Lakers on both ends of the court.
On Friday, the Lakers will certainly have their hands full, as the Minnesota Timberwolves are a playoff team in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves have lost two straight games to potential playoff teams in the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets, as they will certainly be looking to get back in the win column against the Lakers.
With the Lakers being short-handed yet again, expect to see a similar rotation that will feature players like Tyler Ennis and Alex Caruso. With Ball and Ingram out, Kuzma has elevated his play, and the Lakers will need him to be great once again if they want to have a chance.
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There are just a few games left this season for the Lakers, and the possibility that Ingram and Ball’s seasons could be done has become increasingly likely.