The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Los Angeles Clippers Thursday night. During the loss, Carmelo Anthony suffered a hamstring injury after 11 minutes of play and was forced to miss the rest of the game. The injury was identified as a right hamstring strain.

However, there is some optimism surrounding the power forward. ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that his strain isn't as serious as originally expected, and it will be a day-to-day decision for his return.

This is great news for the Lakers, who have struggled to keep their top players healthy this season. Lebron James is a game-time decision after missing the Lakers' last five games due to a knee injury.

Fortunately, power forward Stanley Johnson is healthy and available to continue his role in the starting lineup. 36-year-old Trevor Ariza will likely be the Lakers' power forward off the bench during Anthony's absence.

Los Angeles is 9th in the Western Conference with a mediocre-at-best record of 25-28. The Lakers will attempt to improve the below .500 record when they host the New York Knicks Saturday night.

They should be able to pull off this win, especially if James is available come gametime. The Knicks have also struggled this season. They are 12th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 24-28.