Lakers Injury Report: Final Game 3 Decision Made On 2 Critical Role Players

Will they suit up?

Feb 13, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Christian Wood (35) blocks Detroit Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham (2). / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

A pair of critical Los Angeles Lakers frontcourt role players will sit out LA's must-win Game 3 matchup against the Denver Nuggets, as the team's first round playoff series rolls on tomorrow at Crypto.com Arena.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that both power forward/center Christian Wood and power forward Jarred Vanderbilt will miss the bout. Charania notes that Wood had been intending to come back for his first game action since undergoing a left knee arthroscopic surgery in March.

It's an interesting decision. While it's true that teams rally back from 0-2 NBA playoff series deficits to win just 7.3% of the time, per Land of Basketball, the output is even more dire when clubs trail 0-3. No team has ever come back from such a disadvantage, but five have pushed their matchups to a Game 7, most recently the Boston Celtics in their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Miami Heat last year.

But I digress. Vanderbilt's perimeter defense has been an imperative element of the team's attack since he was acquired from the Utah Jazz last deadline, but he's been out of commission with a lingering foot injury for most of the year. Against Denver's jumbo-sized rotation pieces, Vanderbilt's defensive help could prove imperative. Wood was added for his floor spacing, though he's just shooting 30.7% from 2.3 long range tries a night with LA this year.

LA will again have to rely on backup center Jaxson Hayes, who's given them nothing in this series.

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