The Los Angeles Lakers won their third straight game on Sunday night at the expense of the division rival Phoenix Suns. Although the Lakers are now sitting at 4-3, it didn’t come without a cost with Larry Nance Jr. suffering a concussion against the Suns.
With Nance dealing with a concussion, the 23-year-old will miss Tuesday game against the visiting Dallas Mavericks. Even though Nance will be out against the Mavs, the second-year forward plans to get back on the floor for the Lakers when the take on the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, according to Tania Ganguli of the L.A. Times:
Larry Nance Jr. said his plan is to play Thursday in Sacramento. He'll have to be cleared by the concussion protocol first.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) November 7, 2016
Nance went down with the concussion in the first quarter of Sunday’s game with his head whipping back on the floor when going after a loose ball. Nance talked about suffering his first concussion and not being able to recall hitting the floor, according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Pretty scary, Larry Nance Jr. said he didn't even remember hitting the floor last night…(He did remember sinking those two FTs though)
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 7, 2016
In seven games this season, Nance is averaging 7.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game.
After showing flashes of potential last year, the Wyoming product has started to come into his own under new head coach Luke Walton and will be an important role player for the Lakers moving forward.