The Los Angeles Lakers have suffered a season of injury musical chairs, with important players missing extended time from the lineup.
The injuries started with Kendrick Nunn being held out with a knee bruise the entire season thus far. LeBron James has two stints of missing multiple games with abdominal and knee injuries, while Anthony Davis missed 17 games with a knee injury.
In Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers lost Carmelo Anthony to a hamstring strain.
Carmelo Anthony (right hamstring strain) is out for the remainder of tonight’s game pic.twitter.com/Pw8fzP82X1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 4, 2022
Following a 24-point performance in a Lakers win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Melo was still locked in with seven quick points in 11 minutes. However, he came up limping in the second quarter, leaving immediately for the locker room and did not return.
According to ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the injury is not as severe as feared, and he is listed day-to-day to get back in action.
There’s optimism that Carmelo Anthony’s right hamstring strain isn’t serious and he’s expected to be day-to-day on a return to the Lakers lineup, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2022
Carmelo Anthony has appeared in 50 of the Lakers’ 53 games this season, leaving Russell Westbrook as the only player that has not missed a game this season.
Anthony is averaging 13.4 points and 4.2 rebounds this season.