The Los Angeles Lakers were able to bounce back from a blowout loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday by beating the Chicago Bulls in the second game of a back-to-back without starters D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young.
Along with another win to get back to .500, the Lakers got some good news regarding their injured players on Wednesday. Young, who went down on Tuesday, was diagnosed with a calf strain rather than an Achilles injury. Far better news than was anticipated.
Russell, however, is still expected to miss time with his knee issue and will be evaluated once again on Monday, according to Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet:
D'Angelo Russell (PRP injection, knee) will see Laker doctor Monday. No guarantee he plays that night but he'll be close to 2-week minimum.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) November 30, 2016
Russell is expected to miss a minimum of two weeks. That two-week mark comes up next Wednesday, but obviously, it remains uncertain when he’ll return. Monday’s doctor visit will likely shed more light on a potential return date for the second-year point guard.
In the meantime, Russell will continue to rest during the team’s current road trip. The Lakers have already played two of the four games scheduled for the trip with the next matchup coming against the Toronto Raptors on Friday at the Air Canada Centre.
Following the showdown with DeMar DeRozan and company, the Lakers will travel down south once again for the second game of a back-to-back against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. The game at FedExForum will mark the last of the road trip with the Lakers hosting the Utah Jazz on Dec. 5 at the Staples Center.
