The Los Angeles Lakers will continue to play shorthanded, as it has been announced that forward Kyle Kuzma and center Tyson Chandler won't be playing against the Phoenix Suns.
Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints confirmed this development, with Kyle Kuzma still recovering from a hip injury and Tyson Chandler resting.
No Kyle Kuzma tonight for the #Lakers.
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 28, 2019
Tyson Chandler has been ruled out as well for tonight’s game. #Lakers
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 28, 2019
This is a really bad timing for the Lakers, who are already without superstar LeBron James (groin) and Lonzo Ball (ankle). Kuzma's injury means that the Purple and Gold will be playing without its best scorers.
Kuzma's hip has reportedly been bothering him for some time now, and it was evident in the Lakers' last game against the Golden State Warriors. He scored just 10 points and shot 4-12 from the field, including 0-4 from deep.
The Lakers are expected to put much of the scoring responsibility on Brandon Ingram, who has shown flashes of being a great player whenever the offense revolves around him. He will have plenty of that opportunity against the Suns.
Meanwhile, Chandler isn't suffering from any injuries, but the Lakers would like to give the big man some rest as he's been playing a significant amount of minutes over the past couple of games. In his absence, Ivica Zubac is expected to step up, something that he's done pretty well over the past couple of games. JaVale McGee should also see added minutes.
The Lakers need to win as many games as possible if they want to keep their playoff chances alive. They are currently in the ninth place in the Western Conference after losing nine of their last 14 games.
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