Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left Game 3 with a left quad contusion after his leg buckled in an attempt to avoid fouling a driving Devin Booker.
The Lakers initially listed him as questionable after he went to the locker room for further evaluation but later announced he would be out for the rest of the game.
Los Angeles turned to Wesley Matthews off the bench to replace Caldwell-Pope’s spot in the lineup, and the veteran guard repaid the faith by hitting two clutch threes in the fourth quarter.
Matthews’ ability to hit those shots came at an opportune time because Caldwell-Pope has massively struggled to shoot the ball in the three games. He’s 1-of-13 from 3-point range.
Still, his floor-spacing threat and ability to match up with Booker has been a key ingredient for the Lakers’ success in the last two games, and they’ll hope to have him healthy as soon as possible.
Caldwell-Pope underwent an MRI Friday, and the results were promising, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's bruised left quad showed slight improvement since Gm 3 and an MRI administered Friday revealed no tear, sources told ESPN. The Lakers guard will see how he responds to rest and treatment come Saturday and his status will be determined for Sunday's Gm 4
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 28, 2021
Los Angeles had two days off after Game 3, the first time this series they’ll receive that amount of rest heading into the next game.
The extra day is key for potentially getting Caldwell-Pope on the court, including the legs of their starters who have played numerous minutes in every game.
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