The Los Angeles Lakers’ exhilarating 111-109 win against the Oklahoma City Westbrooks Thunder on Tuesday night didn’t come without a damper. D’Angelo Russell, the team’s sophomore point guard who is regarded by many as the future face of the franchise, was inactive for the second time in three games due to a sore left knee. Now it appears Russell will be out for a little while longer:
BREAKING: Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell will miss 2-3 weeks after receiving platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection for sore left knee.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) November 23, 2016
More D’Angelo: PRP injections stimulate blood flow + healing in areas experiencing decreased blood flow. It’s a minimally invasive procedure
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) November 23, 2016
Despite not yet achieving the breakout that many predicted for him before the beginning of the season, Russell has still been one of the best players on the Lakers thus far. He’s averaging 16.1 points per game, just half a point behind team-leading scorer Lou Williams, and leads the Lakers with 4.8 assists per game.
The timetable for Russell’s return means that he’ll be back around the time that the Lakers head out on a long road trip to Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Charlotte, Miami, and Orlando. Jose Calderon will likely start tonight at Golden State, a game which Russell was already expected to miss. Calderon, who the Lakers traded for over the summer to shore up the backup point guard spot, is in line to start the majority of the games Russell will miss.
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