USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers earned a very hard-fought win over the Washington Wizards on Thursday evening, keeping their win streak alive. However, it wasn't for the faint of heart as they went to overtime against one of the worst teams in the NBA.

To their credit, the game was played on the second night of a back-to-back, and the teams' legs weren't fully under them. But partway through the game, the Lakers had themselves another injury scare, this time to forward Cam Reddish.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham explained why Reddish was removed from the game in the second quarter. He said it was due to him experiencing some soreness in his ankle, so they took precautions by taking him out of the game.

Reddish just returned to the lineup after a lengthy stay on the injured list, so the Lakers are being cautious with him. They can't afford for him to miss too much time, so they wanted to play things safe. 

He has become one of their more important pieces, especially on the defensive end of the floor. The Lakers already lack a ton of wing depth with Reddish in the lineup, so losing him would hurt the team more so.

The hope is that this injury doesn't keep him out for too long, if at all. The team making sure he was healthy is a good sign, and they need Reddish impacting the game as the stretch run begins.

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