With Larry Nance Jr. sidelined by a bone bruise on his left knee, it would be reasonable to expect the Lakers to miss his trademark high-energy play.
But the combination of Tarik Black and Thomas Robinson might help alleviate that considering how well they played together in Sunday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors.
“They brought us an energy and toughness that we lack a lot of the time on the defensive end,” head coach Luke Walton said at Monday’s practice. “So it was nice to have them out there fighting and battling and watching the other team get mad at each other for not matching that level of intensity.