Lakers Injury Report: Christian Wood, Anthony Davis’ Status Change For the 1st Time In Playoffs, Ahead of Game 4

The Los Angeles Lakers entered the do-or-die zone, early in their postseason journey. LeBron James & Co. have had an embarrassing stretch against the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets throughout the last two seasons. After losing 11 straight games against them, the LA men need to win their next four games to stay alive in the playoffs. Amid this situation, the team has both good and bad news involving Anthony Davis and Christian Wood, ahead of Game 4.

Starting with the good news, Christian Wood, who had been sidelined for over the last two months with a left knee injury, got an upgrade in the injury report. The team listed him Questionable for Game 4. On the other hand, the bad news, Anthony Davis, who sustained a minor injury on his wrist in Game 3 is also listed as Questionable.

Christian Wood missed out on almost half the season with a left knee injury. The mid-season arthroscopic surgery almost ended his season. During his 50-game appearance off the bench, Wood scored 6.9 points with 5.1 rebounds in his 17-minute stay per game. Despite his decent numbers, the star also had a separate saga on his own to get a spot in the starting line-up, replacing Cam Reddish.

Now that Reddish is also injured, Wood could look to replace Rui Hachimura in the starting line-up. Japanese-American baller has had a poor run, scoring at 5 points per game in the ongoing series. At the same time, Anthony Davis, the only consistent baller in the Lakers fold, scored 32.3 points per game. The star’s absence could put the team to sleep early.

Apart from them, the team listed LeBron James as Probable with his long-standing left ankle issue. The Nuggets, on the other hand, have no injury report trouble except for Reggie Jackson. The team listed him in the Questionable category with an ankle injury.

Starting line and predictions for Game 4

With Anthony Davis in the Questionable category, the Lakers might need a step up from someone else. In the last three games, AD put up consistent, lone Lakers resistance. In his absence, Jaxon Haynes could suit up in the starting line-up. Keeping the injury report in consideration, the Lakers’ starting line-up may look like this: Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, Jaxon Haynes, D’Angelo Russell, and Austin Reaves 

The Nuggets only have their bench player, Reggie Jackson on their injury report, so the Nuggets would go with their championship winning starting line-up. It may look like: Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murrat, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. 

The odds are already favoring the Nuggets as they have a 3-0 lead in the series. At the same time, LeBron James revealed his mindset after the Game 3 loss. As a superstar, who orchestrated a 3-1 comeback in Finals, he made a pressing statement. He said, “Take it one game at a time at this point… Let’s get one and force game 5… As long as you have life and y’all can believe, you play till the wheels fall off.”

Will the Lakers force Game 5? Let us know in the comments below.