Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma reportedly will undergo an MRI on his lower back, which was bruised during the first half of the team’s 107-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Luke Walton said Kyle Kuzma will get an MRI tomorrow morning on his low back. Walton noticed him take a hit there in the first half, and he wasn’t able to keep playing after trying to push through for a few minutes.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 3, 2019
“He got hit somewhere in the game, something happened during the game,” Walton told reporters after the game, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “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.’ ”
The Lakers played against the Thunder without star forward LeBron James (strained groin) and veterans Rajon Rondo (hand surgery) and Michael Beasley (personal reasons). Rondo is not expected to return for at least a month, while Beasley missed his 13th straight game.
Kuzma, who played 16 minutes Wednesday night, scored four points before the injury. He’s averaging 18.7 points, six rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and is the team’s second-leading scorer.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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