According to a tweet this afternoon from ClutchPoints' own Ryan Ward, the freefalling Los Angeles Lakers (11-26) have ruled rookie point guard Lonzo Ball as questionable for Friday night's game against the Charlotte Hornets with his nagging shoulder ailment.

The injury, which has caused Ball to miss the last seven games, continues to show fans how valuable the N0. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft is for the Lakers this season.

When asked if he'll play against the Hornets, Ball said he was eager to play but it will ultimately be the Lakers' call as to whether he's healthy enough to suit up or not.

“I want to,” Ball said of his status for Friday night's game. “Hopefully, they give me the go, and if they do, I’ll be out there.”

The Lakers, who have lost eight straight games and 11 of their last 12 contests overall dating back to Dec. 12, are coming off their worst defeat of the season last night in a 133-96 thrashing at the hands of the star-studded Oklahoma City Thunder.

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Rookie rising star forward Kyle Kuzma, who led the Lakers in scoring with 18 points and three rebounds, was pretty disgusted with his team's performance at Staples Center on Wednesday night.

Via an article by staff writer Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN:

“We gave up. You could see, they got basket after basket, we had no resistance on them on the defensive end and offensive end,” Kuzma said. “When things got tough, we tried to do it individually, and you can't do that in this league. … They took a little lead and we just went to being selfish on the floor. We didn't compete on defense. They killed us. … To lose by [nearly] 40, it is pretty embarrassing to be out there.”

The Lakers will have a golden opportunity to put this dreadful losing streak behind them when they host the Hornets, a team the Lakers beat 110-99 last month in Charlotte.