Los Angeles player Andrew Bynum has been one of the biggest keys to the Los Angeles Lakers’ rebirth season. But he will not play Monday as the Lakers strive to win their seventh straight game.
Andrew Bynum sprained his left knee on Sunday against Memphis. Bynum landed on the foot of his teammate Odom and did not play the rest of the game. Doctors took X-rays and the results were negative. The doctor insisted on doing an MRI on Bynum to make sure he was okay. After the Memphis game, Andrew was walking on his own, but he was limping a bit.
“I was pretty scared, but the X-rays came back negative,” Bynum said. “I never heard a click. Only when I bend it does it hurt. I feel good, it’s not as bad as I thought. I iced it and it felt better right away.”
Bynum had 10 points and nine rebounds in the 20 minutes leading up to his injury. Bynum is 23-of-30 (76.7 percent) from the field in his previous three games. He also leads the NBA with a 63.6 shooting percentage and leads the LA Lakers with 10.2 rebounds per game.
“ It is unfortunate. It’s part of the game, ” Kobe Bryant said. “ It happens to all of us. Our rhythm is going to change a lot. The next two games or a week or so can be a bit shaky. It’s good that he’s walking. ”
In the absence of Bynum, the Lakers struggled to hug Memphis, outscoring them 29-20 in the fourth quarter. Nevertheless; Bryant scored 37 points and Kwame Brown scored the last free throws, given the victory to the Lakers.
In the next game against the Sonics, the Lakers will look forward to their fifth straight road win; being the first time since the 2003-04 season. The Lakers have already won six in a row for the first time since an 11-game winning streak in the 2003-2004 season, averaging 112.0 points.
The Lakers have the second-largest dynamic winning streak in the NBA behind the Mavericks’ seven-game winning streak. The Lakers are also currently halfway behind the Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.
Seattle (9-27) on the other hand, just ahead of Minnesota in the Western Conference, lost its sixth straight game Friday at home to Dallas 90-70.
The Seattle Supersonics have averaged the current 84.8 points and shot 39.3 percent from the floor, as well as just 35.4 percent against the Dallas Mavericks. Top scorer Kevin Durant was just 4 of 13 off the court and with just 15 points in that game.
Seattle is eager for the return of Luke Ridnour and Chris Wilcox, who were injured. Ridnour has missed seven of the last eight games with a quadriceps injury. It’s more; Wilcox, who is second on the team with 13.3 points, has missed the previous four games with a displaced little finger.
Seattle hopes that the return of these two players will make a difference and change the fortunes of the Supersonics. Both are expected to play on Monday.
The LA Lakers beat the Supersonics on November 27, 106-99 at home. This is his third straight win against Seattle, and Kobe Bryant has averaged 43.7 points in those games. This game is expected to be a battle, Seattle finding its way and Lakers looking for their seventh straight victory.