Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram missed their fifth and fourth straight games, respectively, when the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. With three games and five days remaining until the end of the 2017-18 NBA season and nothing for the Purple and Gold to , those two might seem like they’re done—Zo with a left knee contusion, BI with a concussion.
But Luke Walton would say otherwise. According to Lakers reporter Mike Trudell, the head coach insisted that “both are feeling better and neither is shut down for season.”
Clearly, that’s good news for the Purple and Gold. Though there’s no guarantee that either will be back before the summer, and the team has found ways to compete without them, the Lakers could clearly use the playmaking that Ball and Ingram bring to the table if they’re going to steal any more wins at Staples Center from the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers—each of which still has a role to play in the Western Conference playoff picture.