Key Role Player Remains Ruled Out For Lakers-Nuggets Game
On Tuesday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers will be in Denver to face off against the Nuggets for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
For the game, they will remain without backup center Mo Bamba, who is out due to an ankle injury.
The former Texas star has only appeared in three Playoff games (both in the first round).
Via Underdog NBA: "Status alert: Mo Bamba (ankle) ruled out for Tuesday."
Bamba was the sixth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and spent the first four and a half seasons of his career with the Orlando Magic.
However, he was traded to the Lakers in February.
The 25-year-old finished the 2022-23 regular season with averages of 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest while shooting an impressive 48.5% from the field and 38.7% from the three-point range.
Despite his limited playing time with Los Angeles, he is the tallest player on the roster, so not having him available creates a lack of depth at the center position.
The Lakers are the seventh seed in the Western Conference and have beaten the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors in the first two rounds of the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
They won the NBA Championship in 2020 but are coming off a season where they missed the playoffs and went 33-49.
As for the Nuggets, they are the first seed and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns in the first two rounds.
The Lakers and Nuggets faced off four times during the regular season, and each team won twice.
