The day after a demoralizing 41-point preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers met for Monday’s practice, but Head Coach Byron Scott gave veterans Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant the day off to get treatment.
Neither Bryant nor Nash played well on Sunday night.
Bryant cited tired legs after the game, and apparently, the Lakers’ coach heeded the warning. After all, the Lakers had practiced on Sunday morning before playing on Sunday night. And it showed. Nash, the coach revealed, entered Sunday’s contest with reservations and asked out of the game early on.
On Monday, Scott said both Bryant and Nash came to practice floor dressed and ready to play, but the coach had scheduled a practice centered on offense and shooting—areas both veterans were well-versed in—so the backcourt duo got the day off.
Jeremy Lin, who missed Sunday’s game with a sprained ankle, did not take part in the session either.
“Jeremy came out; he was a little ginger,” Scott said at Monday’s practice. “He said it feels a lot better today than it did yesterday, so Thursday’s going to be pretty much a game-time decision.”
Jordan Clarkson was considered day-to-day, and the coach was optimistic that the rookie point guard could recover from a strained calf by Sunday’s preseason game against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center. Scott also confirmed that Ryan Kelly did work for the first time since training camp had started.
Regarding Xavier Henry, however, Scott was coyer. He would neither confirm nor deny whether Henry would be available for Thursday’s game against the Utah Jazz in Anaheim.
Nick Young, who was at practice and participating, had a new cast on and offered his usual light style of entertainment. At only point, Young was asked about the Lakers’ lack of outside shooting attempts, and Young jested that he would probably have made about five three-pointers himself.
Everything considered, Monday’s practice did not feature panic in the face of the one-sided loss on Sunday, and the injury news was more positive than negative.
