NBA news: Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell injury update, Malik Monk outduels Westbrook, Giannis injury
By Jason Reed
The unofficial second half of the NBA season is underway and there are going to be a lot of fun storylines to watch. The teams atop the NBA are looking to stay healthy going into the NBA playoffs while a team like the Los Angeles Lakers is looking to climb up the NBA standings.
Any NBA news is going to be more substantial now as we approach March than it would have been back in November. Time is ticking until the end of the season until the games really matter in the NBA Playoffs.
Let’s dive into today’s NBA news roundup, starting with some serious Lakers news.
NBA news: Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell may not miss much time
D’Angelo Russell suffered an ankle injury in the first game back from the all-star break and it looked to be horrible news for the Los Angeles Lakers. At the time, it looked like an injury that could keep Russell out for several weeks.
However, all the news around the injury since Thursday has been extremely promising. All signs are pointing to the injury now being as serious as expected.
Darvin Ham said that he doubts that Russell will play on Sunday against the Mavericks and that the former all-star guard is considered day-to-day. Even if he does not play against Dallas, this is fantastic news for Lakers faithful.
NBA news: Malik Monk outduels Russell Westbrook in battle of former Lakers
Russell Westbrook made his Los Angeles Clippers debut on Friday in what was a wild game against the Sacramento Kings. The Clippers and Kings went to double overtime with the Kings emerging victoriously, 176-175.
Westbrook played 39 minutes for the Clippers, scoring 17 points with 14 assists and five rebounds. Malik Monk was the true story of the game, however, as he scored 45 points in 41 minutes in the Kings’ win.
NBA news: Giannis Antetokounmpo suffers knee injury
Giannis Antetokounmpo was dealing with a wrist injury during the all-star break that resulted in him essentially not playing in the game itself. In the Bucks’ first game back, Giannis left after just six minutes with a knee injury.
The knee injury does not appear to be serious, though, as Giannis has been listed as day-to-day. The Bucks are currently second in the Eastern Conference with a 42-17 record. They are 2.5 games ahead of third-place Philadelphia.