On Black Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers are preparing for their next NBA Cup game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers bounced back from a loss to the Phoenix Suns in their inaugural NBA Cup game by defeating the San Antonio Spurs on the road Wednesday. However, the team also received concerning injury updates regarding their rookies. Bronny James has been ruled out again due to a left heel contusion, while Dalton Knecht is expected to be sidelined with a right quad contusion, as confirmed in the Lakers’ injury report released on Thanksgiving Day.
James will now miss Friday’s game as well after being declared out for Wednesday’s due to a heel strain. Prior to Wednesday’s game, Knecht was listed as questionable on the injury report; nonetheless, he played and was successfully reintroduced into the starting lineup for the Lakers.
James will now miss Friday’s game as well after being declared out for Wednesday’s due to a heel strain. Prior to Wednesday’s game, Knecht was listed as questionable on the injury report; nonetheless, he played and was successfully reintroduced into the starting lineup for the Lakers.
Knecht returned to the starting lineup and played 30 minutes in Wednesday’s victory over the Spurs, looking like himself. It would be shocking if he missed Friday’s game against the Thunder given his likely tag. While James has only participated in six games this season, Knecht has made 18 appearances and is off to a good start, scoring 11.7 points per game on average.
It will be important to keep an eye on the injury report to assess James and Knecht’s future status as the Lakers travel to play the Utah Jazz on Sunday, December 1.
