Lakers Injury Report: Hurt LA Role Player Available For First Time In Denver Series

Can he save Los Angeles from almost certain doom?

Nov 1, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Cam Reddish (5) and forward Christian Wood (35) help up point guard D'Angelo Russell. / Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

Down 0-3 in their first round Western Conference playoff series matchup against the No. 2-seeded Denver Nuggets, the No. 7-seeded Los Angeles Lakers are getting one reinforcement ahead of a pivotal Game 4 matchup tonight at Crypto.com Arena.

According to Michael Corvo of Clutch Points, Los Angeles head coach Darvin Ham has confirmed that reserve power forward/center Christian Wood is set to play his first game since undergoing a knee surgery in March.

Whether he'll crack Darvin Ham's rotation is another matter. Though Ham had started out the series going nine deep, he has since culled the group to eight, having eliminated backup big Jaxson Hayes from his lineups after he proved wholly ineffective. Essentially, Ham has been employing starting forwards LeBron James and Rui Hachimura to spell starting center Anthony Davis (who had been questionable with a sprained wrist, but is set to play tonight after all) at the five spot. Will he opt to add another (potential) dimension to his bench offense and work in some minutes for Wood, in an absolute must-win game? Time will tell.

The contest, which could be the last of the Lakers' season, is slated to tip off at 5:40 p.m. PT tonight.

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