The Lakers were missing a few rotation players for Saturday’s 19-point road loss to Orlando. Prior to the game, head coach Darvin Ham offered updates on those injured players, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays (via Twitter).
According to Ham, the Lakers anticipate having Rui Hachimura (concussion) and Taurean Prince (left patellar tendonitis) back “sooner rather than later,” whereas the return of Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel bursitis) figures to come “later rather than sooner.” Ham added that rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino, who is dealing with a right patella contusion, is “still a few weeks out.”
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- The Spurs got good news on Devin Vassell, who underwent an MRI this week on a groin injury. According to Andrew Lopez of ESPN, the fourth-year swingman was diagnosed with a mild left adductor strain and will be considered day-to-day. While Vassell has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. Toronto, it sounds like he may not miss as much time as initially feared.
- Suns guard Devin Booker has been downgraded to out for Sunday’s game in Detroit, tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. As Bourguet notes (via Twitter), Booker is now dealing with a right calf strain after already battling a toe injury and a left ankle sprain this fall. He has been limited to just two regular season appearances so far.
- Nuggets guard Jamal Murray left Saturday’s win over Chicago in the second quarter due to right hamstring tightness. While the team has yet to issue a formal update on Murray’s status going forward, head coach Michael Malone expressed some concern about the nature of the ailment, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscriber link) writes. “You always worry about those types of injuries, because they can stick around for a while,” Malone said. “So we have to be smart about it.”