The cavalry apparently is not coming for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bill Reiter of CBS Sports reported Tuesday that three Lakers players are expected to miss the rest of the season — center Christian Wood, forward Jarred Vanderbilt and guard Gabe Vincent. Reiter adds that it is possible that Vanderbilt specifically could still return but that the expectation is it will not happen.
The news on Wood, who has been out since the All-Star break with a knee injury and just decided to get arthroscopic surgery, was reported earlier this week. But the developments with Vanderbilt (out since early February with a foot injury suffered on a non-contact sequence) and Vincent (out since late December with a lingering knee injury) appear to be new.
The 37-32 Lakers have solidified their bench rotation lately with Taurean Prince, Spencer Dinwiddie, Max Christie and Jaxson Hayes rotating shifts (and Cam Reddish due back at some point as well). But being without that injured trio of defenders and shot-makers still hurts as the Lakers continue to fight for their playoff lives.
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