Lakers: Carmelo Anthony Leaves Game Early With Injury, Now Day-to-Day

The last thing that the Lakers need right now is an injury to one of their veterans. They just got Anthony Davis back in the lineup at the end of January, and they will probably continue to be without LeBron James. He is currently trying to get past a sore and swollen knee, but there is no timeline for his return.

So when Carmelo Anthony asked for a substitute during the Lakers game against the Clippers last night, everyone held their breath. Anthony eventually went to the locker room and would not return to the game with what the team called a right hamstring strain. 

For the moment, Melo is listed as day-to-day with that hamstring issue. The 37-year-old has been a surprising addition to this Lakers team, averaging 13.4 points per game and hitting close to 40 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. 

His veteran presence is what makes the loss of James a little easier though. Melo has stepped up and had a couple of really nice scoring performances since LBJ went down with his knee injury, including scoring 24 points against Charlotte last Friday. 

The timing couldn't be worse for the Lakers, especially as they try to make a last push towards the postseason. Los Angeles enters their weekend with a 25-28 record and just barely hanging onto the 9th seed in the Western Conference. 

If Anthony has to miss any time, that could really be difficult for the Lakers. They face off against the Knicks on Saturday before welcoming the Bucks into town on Tuesday night.