Banged
up Lakers head to Houston
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) -- Slava Medvedenko
didn't practice Wednesday with the Los Angeles
Lakers because of a strained right Achilles'
tendon, and his status for Game 3 of their
first-round playoff series against Houston
is uncertain.
Medvedenko
was injured late in the second quarter of
the Lakers' 98-84 victory over the Rockets
on Monday night, giving them a 2-0 lead
in the best-of-seven series.
Game
3 is Friday night and Game 4 Sunday afternoon
in Houston.
An
MRI revealed no tear but some swelling,
Medvedenko said, adding he wouldn't have
been able to play Wednesday night had a
game been scheduled.
''I
have a little bit of time to recover,''
he said. ''I'll try to run tomorrow.''
Medvedenko,
a 6-foot-10, 250-pounder from the Ukraine,
said this was the first time he's had this
kind of injury and didn't remember when
exactly when he got hurt.
''Yeah,
a little bit,'' he replied when asked if
it hurt to walk.
The
Lakers have listed him as questionable for
Game 3.
With
Horace Grant sidelined due to an injured
hip, the 25-year-old Medvedenko has become
an important part of the Lakers' rotation,
backing up Shaquille O'Neal at center and
Karl Malone at power forward.
''He
has hopes of practicing (Thursday),'' Lakers
coach Phil Jackson said. ''He has to be
able to run the court (to play). He has
to be able to jump -- we need rebounding.''
Medvedenko
sat out the second half of Game 2, so Malone
played center when O'Neal was out and did
an effective job defending Yao Ming.
Medvedenko
played in 68 games during the regular season,
averaging 8.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in
21.2 minutes.
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