These days, it seems the Los Angeles Lakers have been spiraling. They have lost nine of their last 12 games after winning the NBA’s first in-season tournament and fallen under .500.
Their 17-18 record puts them in 10th place in the Western Conference, and they’re just half a game ahead of the 11th-place Golden State Warriors. With the struggling but dangerous Memphis Grizzlies facing off against them at Crypto.com Arena on Friday, they badly need to find a remedy for their ills.
One of those ills has been injuries, and they will not get any help on that front on Friday. Forward Rui Hachimura was already ruled out due to a strained left calf. Now guard D’Angelo Russell has been declared out with a bruised tailbone.
Russell is out, per Darvin Ham. He’ll miss his third straight game. https://t.co/KnACS0vaPe
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 6, 2024
Russell initially suffered the injury on Dec. 30 in a loss at the Minnesota Timberwolves. While he struggled mightily with his shooting for most of December, he shot 51.7% from the field and 46.7% from 3-point range in his last four contests.