Perhaps most synonymous to their second-half collapse has been the plethora of injuries to plague the Los Angeles Lakers in recent weeks. The likes of LeBron James and Lonzo Ball have all missed significant time this season, with the latter still working his way back from a sprained ankle.
While James managed to recover from his significant groin injury, Ball is not particularly close to returning to the court and could ultimately be shut down for the year with the Lakers’ playoff hopes dwindling by the day.
One player to benefit from Ball’s lengthy absence is point guard Alex Caruso, who logged a season-high 29 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets.