The Los Angeles Lakers are welcoming the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies into town on Tuesday for a huge matchup between Western Conference playoff hopefuls. The Lakers are entering must-win territory in pretty much every game at this point, and Tuesday is no different.
We know the Lakers will be without LeBron James, who continues to rehab his right foot injury. We also know that D'Angelo Russell, who has missed the last five games with an ankle injury, has been upgraded to questionable. And finally, we know the status of the other injured player on the team, Mo Bamba, who left Sunday's game with an ankle injury of his own.
Bamba will not be able to play in Tuesday's game, and will join James on the bench, according to Jovan Buha.
This is a tough blow for Bamba, who was playing his role very well for the Lakers. However, the Lakers were able to manage the rest of the win against the Golden State Warriors without him, and will have to do the same on Tuesday against Memphis.
Hopefully, Russell is able to go, as he would add a huge boost to the Lakers' lineup. But with Bamba out, look for Wenyen Gabriel to play a pretty decent role against the Grizzlies.
We'll continue to update you on Russell's status for Tuesday's game as we learn more, and we'll update you on Bamba's status for the team's next game on Friday against the Toronto Raptors. But for now, we know Russell is a maybe, and Bamba is for sure out.
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