Things are going so badly with the Los Angeles Lakers franchise that the NBA had to step in and helped the mighty-has-fallen ball club.
The incredibly short-handed Lakers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-108 on Wednesday night. How short-handed?
According to the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles was playing in the second night of back-to-back games and had six players on the roster sitting out with injuries: Kobe Bryant (knee), Pau Gasol (groin), Jodie Meeks (ankle), Jordan Hill (cervical strain), Xavier Henry (knee) and Steve Nash (resting on the second game of the back-to-back),.
That left the Lakers with eight available players. There was enough room on the L.A. bench to allow Lakers center Chris Kaman to lie down fully extended across the empty chairs on the Lakers bench.
During the game, guard Nick Young sprained his ankle and guard Jordan Farmer injured his left calf, leaving the team with six players. Kaman fouled out with 8:29 left in the fourth quarter, leaving the Lakers with five players.
Then with 3:31 left in the game, center Robert Sacre picked up his sixth foul. But as NBC Universal NBA writer Aaron Bruski tweeted (as reported by USA TODAY Sports' For the Win), the NBA prohibits a team from playing with fewer than five players:
"NBA rule 3I states no team may be reduced to less than five players. Last guy to foul out stays in, gets tech + more techs for each foul"
So Sacre stayed in the game, the Cavaliers shot a technical and cut what was a 29-point lead down to six with 1:17 left until Lakers guard Steve Blake, who was playing with a ruptured eardrum, hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with a triple-double to help the Lakers end a seven-game losing streak.
NBA analysts have suggested that the team tank the rest of the season to get a better shot at a top draft choice in next season's lottery.
No need if the Lakers' injury woes remain throughout the course of the season.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
