The Los Angeles Lakers’ injury woes are unlikely to end anytime soon as yet another key player, Mo Bamba, falls prey to it.
The LA Lakers are making a final playoff push amid serious injury concerns. The team sits at the 11th spot on the Western Conference point table with a 31-34 record. Moreover, the purple and gold have mere 17 games in hand from now on to qualify for the playoff. However, with persistent injury concerns, the dream is getting pushed further away with each passing day.
The Lakers made a startling comeback post the All-Star break and recorded two straight wins. Little did they know the troubles were waiting to unfold. First, D’Angelo Russell went down with an ankle sprain. However, despite being medically cleared, the point guard continues to miss games. Secondly, the ace forward LeBron James got ruled out for three weeks due to a right foot injury. Now the latest addition to the list is Mo Bamba.
Mo Bamba Suffers Ankle Sprain, Leaves The Game Mid Way
The LA Lakers made sizeable additions to their lineup in a spree of trade deals. After acquiring D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley in a three-team trade deal, Hollywood brought in Mo Bamba from Orleans Magic in exchange for Patrick Beverley. All the new additions shined on debut and carried the team to a thumping win in its first game after the All-Star break. However, things went on downhill ever since as injuries continued to spoil the Lakers’ playoff run.
Mo Bamba was playing his sixth game for the Lakers on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors when he went down with an ankle injury. Having spent just two minutes on the court, Bamba sprained his left ankle and left the mid-way through the game. While the Lakers did not issue any official statement, Bamba did not return for the rest of the game. Hence, suspense over the gravity of his injury remains. More information on his situation will likely be released in a couple of days as the Lakers play their next game on Wednesday.
LeBron James Less LA Lakers Continues To Reel Under Injuries
Losing LeBron James was a massive setback for the LA Lakers. James suffered from a right foot tendon injury which ruled him out for three long weeks, almost half of the remaining season. With LeBron being out, the onus shifted to the young guys to lead the team into the playoffs. However, things just do not seem to go the Lakers’ way, as D’Angelo Russell went down with an injury.
In his initial game for the Lakers, Russell sprained his ankle and missed out on a couple of games. Furthermore, the point guard’s medical reports showed no further damage. Despite this, Russell is sitting on the bench and recently missed out on his fifth straight game. Darvin Ham, the Lakers’ head coach, said they are being cautious with Russell to avoid any major damage to the injury. However, without LeBron, the team needs someone to attack from the front, and time is running out at an alarming rate.