The story of the 2023-24 season has been injuries for the Los Angeles Lakers. Ironically enough, the star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis has mostly been healthy with both stars missing just a handful of games throughout the season.
Instead, it has been the Lakers' depth that has really been tested throughout the season. Several rotation players have been hurt with many of the injuries coming at the same time. As it stands right now, the Lakers are without Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood. Cam Reddish has also been out but he returned to practice and is questionable to play on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Injury luck is a very real thing in the NBA and for most of the season, the Lakers have been on the bad end of it. However, the team finally seems to be getting some kind of positive break on the injury front, as the Clippers are going to be without Paul George on Wednesday night.
Clippers coach Ty Lue said Paul George is out for tomorrow’s game for Lakers. He’s not practicing today, either. Lue: “He’s hurt.”
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) February 27, 2024
Lakers get injury luck as Paul George is ruled out for Clippers
Injuries are never something that fans want to see in the game of basketball, regardless of the opponent. But at this point in time, the Lakers are in a position where every single game matters and they need all the help they can get.
The Clippers have been playing excellent basketball this season and with George on the floor, they are overwhelming favorites against a beaten-up Lakers team. However, without George, the playing field is much more level and the Lakers are favorites if nothing else.
Now the next step for the Lakers is to actually capitalize on this. It is easy to lose sight of how important a Wednesday night game in February is but for this Lakers team, it is very important. The Lake Show is running out of time and if the team doesn't start stringing together wins now then it could get ugly.
The Lakers have struggled out of the break, losing two out of three games when wins are becoming imperative. Los Angeles needs to stop making excuses and instead turn the ship around, starting with Wednesday night against the Clippers.
Heck, if this Lakers team cannot beat the Clippers without Paul George then that says a lot about the purple and gold. Hopefully, it will not get to that point and the Lakers can actually start to build some momentum with a big win over a Western Conference rival.