Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum expected to be fit to face Utah Jazz: NBA News
Two key players of the Los Angeles Lakers, power-forward Pau Gasol and centre Andrew Bynum, are both expected to play in Tuesday's game against the Utah Jazz.
Both big men hurt their knees in the Lakers’ 95-90 loss to the Denver Nuggets at the Staples Centre on Sunday night.
The 30-year-old Gasol tweaked his right knee following a hard foul by the Denver power-forward Nene in the third quarter. He was taken to the locker room immediately, but returned to the floor a few minutes later and contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds in the defeat.
At the end of the game, Gasol told the reporters that he was fine. He said, "It's sore (knee), but they allowed me to play so hopefully it will be nothing...there's some swelling in there...I jammed my knee pretty good."
An MRI scan showed that Gasol had bruised a bone in his right knee and was advised by doctors to take rest for a few days. However, Gasol is quite confident to return to the floor in the game against the Jazz.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson told reporters that even though Gasol was feeling better now, his return to the squad would depend on his condition before the game. Jackson said, "He came in this morning and, you know, is feeling fine and ready to go. Obviously, we'll watch him closely but right now he says he feels okay."
Bynum also picked up a knock in the fourth quarter when Lamar Odom unintentionally crashed into his surgically repaired right knee after missing a shot. He left the game with just over seven minutes remaining until the final buzzer. Prior to injury, he had eight points and a game-high 16 rebounds for the Lakers.
With the playoffs around the corner, the absence of Gasol and Bynum is a great loss, and could affect their run-in at the end of the regular season. However, the coach and medical staff are confident about the availability of both players for the upcoming match against Utah.
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