Injuries Could Sideline Horry, Fox Tonight
Starting forwards Robert Horry and Rick Fox are injured and could sit out tonight’s game against the Vancouver Grizzlies.
Both are listed as day to day, Horry because of a strained Achilles’ tendon and Fox because of what for now is being called a sore right foot, pending an examination this morning with team physician Dr. Steve Lombardo. It’s the same injury that sidelined Horry on Friday at Cleveland and forced him out early in the fourth quarter Sunday at Detroit after 28 minutes. Fox has been bothered for the last few days but played on.
This comes as Horry, the power forward, has shot 55.9% and averaged 8.9 rebounds and two steals the last 14 games and small forward Fox has been at 50.6% and 13.1 points the last 18 outings--and as the Grizzlies arrive with rising star Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
“He’s a tough guy to guard,” Laker Coach Del Harris said, “and those are two guys who would guard him.”
There has been some good news for the Laker big men. Reserve Corie Blount, whose bruised lower back cost him the last two games and the chance to get some of the minutes that would have come his way in Horry’s absence, practiced Tuesday and will be available tonight.
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All parties are downplaying Sunday’s second-quarter exchange near the Laker bench during a timeout, when Fox grabbed Eddie Jones by the back of the neck to get his attention for a discussion and Jones shoved him away. Assistant coach Larry Drew stepped between them.
“Just frustration, that’s all,” Jones said of the incident that came as the underdog Pistons had a 17-point lead. “You’re down about 20 points, someone says something, someone gets mad. . . . Both of us got upset. Both of us said something.”
The lingering effects?
“After that went down, we forgot about it,” Jones said.
Said Harris: “Just one of those things that happen in competitive situations. Particularly our situation. We’re trying to win every game, and things were not going well. You’re always glad to see everyone in a competitive mode.”
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Magic numbers:
* Seattle over the Lakers for the Pacific Division title: 5.
* Utah over the Lakers for the second-best record in the Western Conference: 6.
* The Lakers over San Antonio for the third-best record in the Western Conference: 3.
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Tonight
vs. Vancouver
* 7:30
* Fox Sports West
Site--Great Western Forum.
Radio--KLAC (570), KWKW (1330).
Records--Lakers 55-20, Grizzlies 17-58.
Record vs. Grizzlies--3-0.
Update--The Lakers are 35 games over .500 for the first time in almost seven years, since April 15, 1991. They have won nine in a row at home, by an average of 16.2 points. It marks the best Forum run of the season, and they need to beat the Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns (Friday) and Dallas Mavericks (March 17) to tie the longest run from 1996-97.