Los Angeles Lakers forward Matt Barnes braving through an injured ankle - NBA Update
Going into the third game of the series against the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers are 2-0 against Denver Nuggets and till now it has been only a one-way traffic.
Kobe Bryant and company bagged the 1st game with the margin of 15 points, 103-88 but in the second Nuggets showed some late resilience and the game went right down to the wire.
Lakers forward Matt Barnes was watching the game from the bench nursing an injured ankle, but after Devin Ebanks got two quick fouls in the first quarter, Barnes knew he would have to enter the game.
Shortly afterwards coach Mike Brown pulled him in for Ebanks. He struggled on court with the ankle for 19 minutes and collected 4 assists, 2 boards and 2 points. Although Barnes, just as he did in game-1, struggled to make an impact in scoring, he provided the much needed hustle to the Lakers defence, especially since Metta World Peace is serving a seven game suspension.
After the game 2, Barnes was hopeful of a quick recovery;
"It's just rough," Barnes said. "I'm kind of up and down right now with my ankle. Hopefully with a couple days off, I'll be at full strength pretty soon."
The injury has certainly taken its toll on Barnes, who has managed to make 2 of his 11 shots from the floor, including nil-for-7 from down town. That however doesn’t bother Mike Brown, who said that he is fine with it and Barnes will have to simply play through the injury.
The Lakers schedule provided Barnes with enough time to heal, as the game 3 is on Friday night, two nights after the last outing. Barnes’ injury has also not been that big of a concern because Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum’s imperious form in the playoffs. Kobe and Bynum have been sensational in the two games played so far.
Bynum put up a historic triple-double of 10 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocked shots in the first one and recorded 27 points with 9 boards in game two while the Black Mamba has racked up 31 and 38 points in Game 1 and Game 2 respectively.
Barnes however is still willing to push his limits, working extra time with the fitness unit.
"I'm still getting good shots. They're not falling right now, but that will change." said Barnes. "I'm struggling right now, but we're getting the job done as a unit."
Tags: