The Los Angeles Lakers will be shorthanded for their battle against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night as the team announced reserve point guard Steve Blake has chicken pox and is out indefinitely. Additionally, forward Matt Barnes has a sore right knee, putting his status for Tuesday's game in question.
With the rash of injuries, the Lakers will sign Trey Johnson from the NBA D-League according to SB Nation blog Ridiculous Upside.
Unfortunately, L.A. is not in a position where it can afford to take games off. Due to a five-game losing streak, it has yet to nail down a specific playoff spot and can finish anywhere from second to fourth in the Western Conference.
The Lakers have an advantage insofar as the Triangle offense does not require a typical point guard to run it. Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom figure to do plenty of the ballhandling chores while Blake sits.
A seven-year veteran, Blake averages 4 points and 2.2 assists per game. Like Derek Fisher, the starting point guard, Blake's value lies in his ability to knock down threes (37.8 percent) and reduce mistakes (0.9 turnovers per game. He has appeared in 79 of the Lakers' 80 games so far.
The Lakers' regular-season ends Wednesday night in Sacramento. The playoffs begin a few days later, though the league has yet to announce a schedule.