While the Los Angeles Lakers won a fourth game in a row and sixth in their last seven contests, they were dealt a significant blow as Rajon Rondo suffered a broken hand in the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Rondo underwent surgery, which is expected to sideline him at least four weeks. This marks a second time the Lakers will go without the veteran point guard, though the first instance was only while he served a three-game suspension.
That nonetheless created an opportunity for Lonzo Ball to start, a role he maintained even once Rondo returned.