The Los Angeles Lakers are on the road tonight with the team facing off against the Portland Trail Blazers and looking to make it two wins in a row. Although the Lakers have some momentum heading into this road game, they will be without veteran forward, Luol Deng.
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According to Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News, Deng has been ruled out for tonight’s game with no decision yet as to who will start in his place:
Luol Deng is out tonight. Luke Walton said he hasn't decided who will start in his place. Metta will be on active roster
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) January 6, 2017
The Lakers are coming off an impressive win over the Memphis Grizzlies in which the team was firing on all cylinders with the starters doing most of the work. Deng, however, was the only Lakers starter that finished the game without scoring in double figures as he ended up with three points.
Despite going 1-for-4 from the floor hitting only a three against Memphis, Deng did contribute in other ways with six assists and six rebounds. Deng sat out of practice on Wednesday and had been dealing with right biceps issue ever since the end of the first half against the Grizzlies on Tuesday.
As Medina mentioned, Metta World Peace is on the active roster for tonight’s game and could very well be in the starting lineup. Other options include shifting players around with a potential combination of Brandon Ingram and or Jordan Clarkson being thrown in the mix against the Blazers.
Thursday’s game will be the first Deng has missed this season.