Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma will undergo an MRI on Thursday to determine the extent of his lower back injury after he was helped off the game versus Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday night. The Lakers lost 100-107.
Coach Luke Walton described Kuzma’s injury as a hit and said Kuzma felt fine after the game.
“He got hit somewhere in the game, something happened during the game,” Walton said. “You could notice he was starting to limp in those last couple minutes he was playing. He said he was fine. They worked on it at halftime; just said, ‘No go.”
Kuzma is the second-highest scorer in the Lakers with an average of 18.3 points. On Wednesday, the youngster was limited to 4 points on 1-for-4 when it came to shooting. He had 1 rebound, 1 assist and 3 steals in the 16 minutes he was on the field.
Kuzma’s injury put a dent to the Lakers’ efforts to get into the playoffs as he joins a long list of stars who are out I the team. Lebron James is still sidelined with a groin injury while Rajon Rondo is out with a hand surgery. Michael Beasley did not play for personal reasons while Javale McGee is battling pneumonia.
Not so long ago, the Lakers were fourth placed. With the stars out, they are eighth in the Western Conference and have a 21-17 record.
