NEW ORLEANS — The Lakers were without another starter on Saturday night, with wing Cam Reddish unavailable for their game against the New Orleans Pelicans, in addition to Rui Hachimura being sidelined for the second consecutive game.
Reddish was ruled out an hour before tipoff because of a right peroneal strain – irritation or inflammation in the tendons that run along the outside of a person’s ankle and foot.
Coach JJ Redick said Reddish dealt with ankle issues in September, resulting in him being a “modified player” during parts of training camp – meaning no live action.
Reddish was sidelined multiple times last season because of right ankle injuries.
“Sometimes you just kind of tweak that stuff,” Redick said pregame. “But as far as I know nothing acute in the sense of like an injury. It’s just banged up.”
Reddish, who is in his sixth NBA season and second with the Lakers, entered Saturday with averages of 4.7 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal. He started in the previous four games after first entering the rotation in the Nov. 4 road loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Hachimura sat out for the second consecutive night because of a sprained right ankle after missing Friday’s road win against the San Antonio Spurs.
Third-year wing Max Christie and rookie forward Dalton Knecht started alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves in light of the Lakers’ injuries.
The Lakers were already without backup centers Jaxson Hayes (sprained left ankle) and Christian Wood (offseason left knee surgery), forward Jarred Vanderbilt (offseason feet surgery recovery) and second-year guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (left groin soreness).
The Pelicans, who were also playing on the second night of a back-to-back after picking up a home win against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, also had significant injury issues.
New Orleans was without Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones, Jordan Hawkins and Jose Alvarado.
LETTING IT FLY
All-Star big man Anthony Davis has increased his 3-point volume since his one-game absence because of left plantar fasciitis in the Nov. 6 road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Davis attempted at least two 3-point shots in each of the last four games entering Saturday, knocking down at least a pair of 3-pointers in all of those games too, going a combined 8 for 12.
He also attempted four shots from long range in the Nov. 4 road loss to the Detroit Pistons.
“He’s made some big-time 3s late in games for us,” Redick said of Davis. “[Friday] night was fun for me because there was a play that early in the second, earlier in the second half where he caught on the right wing. And Zach Collins closed short and he thought about shooting it and ended up not shooting it, getting to ISO. It was like a butter situation where it was a late shot clock, contested two. And during a timeout, I said to him, ‘Those are the 3s that if there’s a reckless closeout, by all means, drive that. But those are the threes that you have to be willing to take every time.’
“And then he took and made two right after that. That to me is, that’s what we want him to do. If there’s a center packed in the paint and he’s got his feet set and it’s a good catch-and-shoot opportunity and rhythm he’s got to be willing to take this.”
Davis was 2 for 4 from behind the arc against the Pelicans.