L.A. Times: Basically, the Lakers are down to an eight-man rotation because of injuries.
The available Lakers all want to play and there are some who have been waiting for the opportunity. One of them is Josh Powell, who stepped up and played big for the Lakers on Friday night at Staples Center against the Indiana Pacers in a 121-119 victory. Powell scored a season-high 10 points on five-for-seven shooting. He had two rebounds. He hustled. He played defense.
“You just got to go in there and do what you’ve been doing,” Powell said. “We’re all here for a reason. . . . You just got to go out there and provide and be able to produce.”
Powell has played in 19 of the team’s 35 games, is averaging 6.47 minutes a game, but he’s not complaining.
“I’ve been doing the same thing I’ve been doing, just working on my game, staying in the weight room, staying on top of my conditioning, going hard in practice every day and just creating that consistency that helps me be able to translate it to the court,” Powell said.
With Lamar Odom (bone bruise right knee), Luke Walton (sore right foot) and Jordan Farmar (surgery on his left knee) all sidelined, the Lakers need other players to step in to fill that void. Friday night, Powell was that player.
“Josh played fine tonight,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. “He had a 10-point game in [19] minutes. He played a nice role for us tonight.”
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