Tuesday offers a trilling matchup between the two worst teams in the Western Conference with both teams hampered by injuries.
The banged up New Orleans Pelicans come into Staples Center with a less-than-impressive 11-25 record and with their star play, Anthony Davis, in doubt for the game. The Pelicans hold the second-worst record in the Western Conference, as the Los Angeles Lakers lead from the bottom of the West with an 8-31 record.
Anthony Davis (back) said today at shootaround that he's still unsure if he'll play tonight against the Lakers. — Justin Verrier (@JustinVerrier) January 12, 2016
Suffering from a strained Achilles tendon, Kobe Bryant's status for Tuesday's game remains in question, as does the status of 19-year-old rookie guard D'Angelo Russell. Russell suffered an ankle sprain in the Lakers' loss to Sacramento on Thursday, and the former Ohio State Buckeye exited Friday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder after only eight minutes on the court.
Both Bryant and Russell sat out Sunday's loss to the Utah Jazz.
In terms of an injury boost, Lakers coach Byron Scott seemed confident that Brandon Bass would play after missing Sunday's loss due to a corneal abrasion. Also, 21-year-old Julius Randle was struggling with a bone bruise in his foot, but the former Kentucky Wild Cat expects to play on Tuesday night.
In terms of form, neither team is coming into the game looking especially sharp. New Orleans has dropped three games in a row, while LA has dropped four games in a row.
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If Davis is unavailable, Tyreke Evans has been averaging 17.9 points per game over the past 10 games, while former UCLA Bruin Jrue Holiday is averaging 15.5 points over the past 10 games. Holiday scored a team-high 29 points against the LA Clippers on Sunday of the bench, and the Pelicans have had the luxury of staying in LA after the Sunday's overtime loss.
The Lakers and Pelicans tip-off at 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
