It’s gone from bad to worse for the Lakers.
Dwight Howard, who was already dealing with a right shoulder injury, re-aggravated it Sunday night in a 112-105 loss to the Nuggets and will be out indefinitely, according to ESPN. An MRI exam revealed a torn labrum and it will be re-evaluated in a week, the team announced on their website.
Howard had a dominating performance, grabbing 26 rebounds to go along with 14 points Sunday, but the Lakers lost their third game in a row. Also injured in that game was Pau Gasol, who suffered a concussion and didn’t travel with the team to Houston where the Lakers play on Tuesday night.
“It depends on how fast I heal up,” Howard told the AP when asked how much time he’d miss.
“I was in pain (Sunday night), and the biggest thing right now is I have to make sure I’m 100 percent. I don’t want to play with my shoulder weak. I’d have a chance for more injuries. I’ve got to let it heal up.”
Howard, who is averaging 17.3 points per game and 12.4 rebounds, was traded to the Lakers this offseason and is a free agent at the end of this season. Before the deal, the All-Star center had interest in joining Deron Williams and the Nets. It’s unclear if he would sign with Brooklyn as a free agent if they made cap space available.
Predicted my many as the clear title favorites after adding Steve Nash and Howard in the offseason, the Lakers got off to a 1-4 start (after an 0-8 preseason) which prompted them to fire head coach Mike Brown. The Lakers have gone just 10-14 under former Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni. Sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference, the Lakers already trail the first-place Clippers by 11 games in the Pacific Division.