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Lakers' Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Out vs. Mavericks Because of Ankle Injury
April 25, 2021
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will miss Saturday's game against the Dallas Mavericks because of an ankle injury.
Per Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet, Caldwell-Pope is dealing with a sprained right ankle.
Trudell noted that Ben McLemore, who signed with the Lakers on April 6, will make his first start with the team since Caldwell-Pope is unavailable.
There was no indication that Caldwell-Pope was injured during Thursday's 115-110 loss to the Mavs. He scored a season-high 29 points on 9-of-17 shooting in 34 minutes.
Caldwell-Pope did miss four straight games from Jan. 3 to Jan. 8 with an ankle injury. The 28-year-old has appeared in each of Los Angeles' past 49 games since returning on Jan. 10.
The loss of Caldwell-Pope leaves a huge shooting void in the Lakers lineup. He is averaging 9.7 points per game on a career-high 42.4 percent three-point shooting in 55 starts this season. The Georgia alum is scoring 16.8 points on a robust 48.3 three-point percentage over the past eight games.
McLemore has appeared in eight games for the Lakers. He has contributed 8.1 points and 1.8 rebounds with the reigning NBA champions.
Los Angeles (35-24) enters Saturday ranked fifth in the Western Conference. The Mavs (32-26) are only two games behind the Lakers in the loss column heading into this matchup.
