The Los Angeles Lakers held practice on Monday and Tuesday in San Antonio in preparation of Game Two against the Spurs on Wednesday night. Steve Nash practiced on both days, and he expected to start again on Wednesday.
However, the 39-year-old said his hamstring is far from 100 percent.
“I just feel fortunate I can play and try to help my team,” Nash said after Game One’s loss. “It’s not great. It’s not going to be great. But I have to worry about what I can do.”
Jodie Meeks, the one injury-free regular rotation player for the Lakers this season, did not practice on Monday or Tuesday due to a sprained ankle suffered during Game One. Coach Mike D’Antoni said he still expected Meeks to be available on Wednesday for Game Two. According to D’Antoni , Meeks told the coach that he would be ready.
For the players who did practice on Tuesday, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, and Nash were pictured talking screen-and-roll. Also, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak was in the building not looking overly concerned at the practice at the AT&T center.
After Sunday afternoon’s Game One defeat, the Lakers opted to stay in San Antonio and practice both Monday and Tuesday, so that should eliminate any excuses relating to fatigue and travel. However, for the remainder of the series, the Lakers have a difficult stretch of playing every other day.
Game Three is scheduled for Friday in Los Angeles, and Game Four is scheduled for Sunday. If necessary, the remainder of the series would be Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday of the following week. Each day between games would be reserved for travel, so the Lakers have likely had their final full length practice on Tuesday in San Antonio.
Considering the series schedule, the Lakers are on an accelerated schedule of for the remainder of the series, and the physical nature of the Lakers’ recent play combined with their injury prone history promises to test the hobbled Lakers.
Still, the Lakers offered promise with their play in Game One, and a win in Game Two would go a long way to shifting the momentum for the Lakers and setting them on a path to pull the upset.
