The Los Angeles Lakers easily won against the Atlanta Hawks on March 18.
They had good luck with the game but also faced a significant setback in the frontcourt.
"ESPN Sources with [Dave McMenamin]: Los Angeles Lakers F Christian Wood will have an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee and is expected to be out for several weeks," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported in a post on X on March 18. "The Lakers final regular season game is April 14."
"Wood has been out more than a month already after experiencing swelling in the knee during the All-Star break," McMenamin wrote in his subsequent report.
Wood, 28, has an average of 6.9 points with 56.8% true shooting, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists this season. Despite his modest individual stats, Wood has had a noticeable impact on the Lakers when he's on the court.
The Lakers' net efficiency differential is plus-1.9 with him on the floor and plus-0.2 without him, per Cleaning The Glass.
Fortunately for the Lakers, Jaxson Hayes stepped up against the Hawks with 10 rebounds.
Lakers HC Darvin Ham Delivers Positive Injury News Outside of Christian Wood
Head Coach Darvin Ham did not address Wood's injury after the game. Before the contest, however, he provided updates on Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent. The word on Cam Reddish was even more encouraging.
"Darvin Ham says Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent are progressing 'according to plan,'" The Athletic's Jovan Buha reported on X on March 18. Cam Reddish should be returning soon.
Vanderbilt has missed the Lakers' last 19 games and the first 20 games.
He is averaging 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1. 2 steals in his 29 appearances for the Lakers this season. Like Wood, the Lakers have been better with Vanderbilt than without, and the numbers are even more lopsided.
The Lakers have a plus-6.1 net efficiency differential with Vanderbilt on the court. That differential drops to minus-0.6 without him.
Jarred Vanderbilt working on one-legged shots pic.twitter.com/Kgodd6ae1m
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 18, 2024
Vincent has played in just one game since October and five contests all season.
His last action came in late December. He could need a longer runway to ramp up than the Lakers have before the postseason starts. Vincent is averaging 5.4 points, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 rebounds.
Reddish has missed 19 of the last 24 games, including the last three straight. He's averaging 6.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists this season.
He had also become a starter before injuries interrupted him in mid-January.
Lakers' Win Over Hawks Key for Play-In Tournament Race
The Lakers ended a two-game losing streak with this win which, combined with the Golden State Warriors' loss to the New York Knicks on the night, pushed LA into ninth place in the Western Conference standings.
This came after a road loss to the Warriors two nights earlier.
The two teams will meet again (April 9) for a pivotal game to determine their position in the Play-In Tournament at the end of the regular season.
Neither team is safe from the 11th-place Houston Rockets, who have won seven of their last 10 games. They have a better record than all four teams currently in the Play-In race in the West, leaving them just 4.0 games behind the Lakers in the standings.
