Los Angeles Lakers center Christian Wood will be active for Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday, head coach Darvin Ham confirmed pregame.

The Lakers are facing a 3-0 series deficit to the defending champions. Los Angeles has lost 11 straight games to Denver. No team in NBA history has won four straight in a playoff series. LeBron James has never been beaten by the same opponent 11 straight times.

Wood has been out since Feb. 14 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. In 51 games during the regular season (one start), Wood averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 17.4 minutes. He shot 31% from the 3-point line on 2.3 attempts per game.

Wood was reportedly eyeing a Game 3 return, and was seen getting up shots after Lakers practice on Wednesday. The veteran was upgraded to questionable for Game 4 on Friday.

Ham, when asked, did not indicate what role Wood would have in Game 4, only that he's “available.”

 

Wood largely split backup center duties with Jaxson Hayes during the season. Wood offers more girth, defensive rebounding, and rim protection, in addition to his theoretical ability to stretch the floor. Hayes was a DNP-CD in Game 3 after playing just 11 minutes over the first two games.

The Lakers' lack of size compared to Denver has been exploited. Denver has 29 more rebounds than Los Angeles — 20 on the offensive glass —and 16 more points in the paint.

Nikola Jokic has enjoyed plenty of success against Anthony Davis — especially in second halves — though he's particularly feasted when the Lakers have gone small, with Rui Hachimura at center.

“Clearly, we have to do something better,” a visibly dejected Hachimura said Friday at practice. “Of course, we’ve been trying. We’ve been watching a lot of film. We’re adjusting different coverage and all that. But, as a team, in my opinion, we just don’t have enough experience.”

Jarred Vanderbilt, out since Feb. 3 with a midfoot sprain, was reportedly hoping to return for Game 3, but is yet to come off the injury report. The Lakers have not provided an official update on Vanderbilt for several weeks.

Cam Reddish remains out with a sprained ankle.

The Lakers' depth has severely underwhelmed against Denver. For the most part, Anthony Davis (32.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 61.5% shooting) and LeBron James (26.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 9.7 assists) have played Nikola Jokic (27.7 points, 15.7 boards, 8.7 assists) and Jamal Murray (21.3 points, 8.0 assists, one backbreaking buzzer-beater) to a standstill.

But, the Nuggets' supporting cast has been dramatically more impactful than the Lakers. Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have collectively outplayed Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and D'Angelo Russell, by a wide margin.

The Lakers' bench has 36 points through three games of the series — 24 of which have been scored by Taurean Prince. The Nuggets — considered one of the shallowest teams in the NBA —  have 41 bench points, but Christian Braun and Peyton Watson have helped Denver win the non-Jokic stretches with their two-way athleticism and all-around disruption.

Wood, a Los Angeles native, spent his first season with the Lakers on a one-year minimum contract. The 28-year-old has played for nine teams in nine seasons. If he plays on Saturday, it'll mark his first career appearance in the NBA Playoffs.