Los Angeles Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell sat out of the team’s most recent game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after his knee began bothering him again. It was the second night of a back-to-back for the Lakers, so the team didn’t want to risk anything.
Yesterday it was initially reported that Russell would miss Tuesday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, but that would ultimately be retracted.
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Russell did practice with the team on Monday and according to the Lakers official Twitter page he is officially listed as probable for tomorrow’s game:
D'Angelo Russell was back on the practice floor today for the #LakeShow
Luke Walton: "He looked great."
Officially listed as probable. pic.twitter.com/7IEHEOkgtV
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 19, 2016
This is good news for the team as Russell has been playing well when he has been healthy. Unfortunately, that hasn’t really been the case for the last few weeks. In his most recent game against Philadelphia, Russell totaled 15 points and seven assists.
Additionally, Tarik Black is also being listed as probable according to Mark Medina of the LA Daily News:
Walton said that Tarik Black is probable for tomorrow. He did some work and then sat at the end
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) December 19, 2016
Though Black was active for Saturday’s game against Cleveland, he did not see the floor as Luke Walton shortened his rotation to only eight players. Black only played three minutes against Philadelphia after missing five straight games with a sprained ankle.
The most important thing for the Lakers is getting their depth back. The team was able to stay fresh and active by playing multiple guys minutes. Injuries have made that more difficult, but it played a role in the Lakers start to the season.
If the team can get everyone back healthy, it will likely help the team get back to the level they were at to start the season.