Hart played 22 minutes and finished with two points (1-1 FG), four rebounds and two steals Tuesday in the Lakers' 107-100 win over the Bulls.
After a few lackluster performances in a row, Hart was moved to the bench prior to the contest, opening up a starting spot for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The veteran swingman made the most of the appointment with 17 points (4-11 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 8-10 FT), four rebounds, two steals and one assist in 31 minutes, leaving little run left over for Hart. Now coming off the bench and likely to see his playing time take an even greater hit if LeBron James (groin) is cleared to play next week, Hart's fantasy value is trending downward fast.
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Lakers' JaVale McGee: Plays well in move to bench
Rotowire
1H ago
McGee tallied nine points (3-10 FG, 3-4 FT), four rebounds, three blocks and one assist across 14 minutes Tuesday in the Lakers' 107-100 win over the Bulls.
Coach Luke Walton decided to shake up his lineup prior to the contest, dropping McGee and Josh Hart to the bench in favor of Tyson Chandler and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, respectively. The bench role unsurprisingly came with a steady drop from the 22.8 minutes per game McGee has averaged this season, though the center was at least productive during his time on the court. Due to the strength of his field-goal percentage and his shot-blocking ability, McGee is still worth holding in most formats, though he'll need to see an uptick in playing time before re-emerging as a viable weekly starting option.
Chandler tallied eight points (3-3 FG, 2-4 FT), three rebounds, two assists and one block across 26 minutes in the Lakers' 107-100 win over the Bulls on Tuesday.
Chandler was one of two new entrants into the starting five -- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope being the other -- and he responded with a solid performance over what was his highest allotment of minutes since Dec. 5. The 36-year-old has proven that he's still capable of serviceable contributions on both the scoreboard and the boards on multiple occasions this season, so he remains a viable option for Luke Walton as a starter if the Lakers coach opts to stick with Tuesday's version of the starting five for the moment.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Out through at least Monday
Rotowire
5H ago
James' agent, Rich Paul, told Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com on Tuesday that his client would miss the Lakers' next two games.
James will remain in Los Angeles to continue rehabilitating his strained left groin while the Lakers embark a two-game road swing that includes stops Thursday in Oklahoma City and Saturday in Houston. That would leave the Jan. 21 home tilt with the Warriors as the earliest possible date for James' return while extending his absence to 13 games, matching the most contests he's missed in any season of his career. James has been making progress since first suffering the injury against Golden State on Christmas Day, as he was spotted participating in half-court shooting and passing drills earlier this week. He may need to turn in a full practice Sunday to have a realistic shot at returning to the lineup at the beginning of the upcoming week.
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Lakers' Brandon Ingram: Fills out stat sheet in win
Rotowire
2H ago
Ingram registered 16 points (7-13 FG. 0-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), nine rebounds, seven assists and one steal across 40 minutes in the Lakers' 107-100 win over the Bulls on Tuesday.
Ingram was the workhorse Tuesday, logging a team-high number of minutes. The 21-year-old has gotten hot from the field of late, with his 53.8 percent shooting tally against the Bulls his third straight of better than 50.0 percent. Coupled with his strong work on the boards and as a facilitator, Ingram is delivering for both the Lakers and fantasy owners during the extended absence of LeBron James (groin).
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Lakers' Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: Thrives in spot start
Rotowire
2H ago
Caldwell-Pope delivered 17 points (4-11 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 8-10 FT), four rebounds, one assist and two steals across 31 minutes in the Lakers' 107-100 win over the Bulls on Tuesday.
KCP's entry into the starting five was a successful one, as he finished second only to Lonzo Ball in scoring for the Lakers on the night. Caldwell-Pope was just as impressive on the other end of the floor, helping hold the Bulls' Zach LaVine to 4-for-11 shooting and 10 points overall. The veteran two-guard replaced the ineffective Josh Hart in the starting lineup, one of two changes initiated by coach Luke Walton for Tuesday's contest. Given his solid effort, it's conceivable Caldwell-Pope gets another run with the first unit versus the Thunder on Thursday. Factoring in Tuesday's production, the 25-year-old has scored in double digits in three of the past four games.
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Lakers' Kyle Kuzma: Double-doubles in victory
Rotowire
6H ago
Kuzma supplied 16 points (6-15 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 12 rebounds and two assists across 31 minutes in the Lakers' 107-100 win over the Bulls on Tuesday.
Kuzma paced both squads in rebounding on the night while also equaling his season-high figure. The 23-year-old has now generated five straight double-digit scoring efforts after a four-point clunker on Jan. 2 against the Thunder to open 2019. While his shooting has been at both extremes thus far this month -- Kuzma has a pair of sub-25.0 percent efforts and a 66.7 percent tally -- he continues to be one of the focal points of the offense while LeBron James (groin) remains sidelined.
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Lakers' Lonzo Ball: Spearheads home win
Rotowire
6H ago
Ball generated 19 points (8-17 FG, 3-7 3Pt), eight rebounds, six assists and two steals across 38 minutes in the Lakers' 107-100 win over the Bulls on Tuesday.
Ball rode one of his better shooting nights of January to help the Lakers to victory. The second-year guard accumulated 13 of his points in the second half, and his 47.1 percent mark from the field was his second-best figure of the month. Ball has shot just 38.4 percent overall across eight games since the calendar flipped to 2019, but he's nearly equaled that figure in three-point shooting (38.1 percent) over that span.
Lakers' Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: Enters starting five
Rotowire
17H ago
Caldwell-Pope will start Tuesday against the Bulls, Mike Trudell of the Lakers' official site reports.
Caldwell-Pope will replace Josh Hart in the starting five, which is a move prompted by the Lakers winning just three of the past 10 matchups. It's unclear if the move will be permanent. In addition to the change on the wing, coach Luke Walton is also starting Tyson Chandler over JaVale McGee.
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Lakers' Josh Hart: Coming off bench Tuesday
Rotowire
17H ago
Hart will come off the bench Tuesday against Chicago, Mike Trudell of the Lakers' official site reports.
With the Lakers losing seven of the past ten games -- all starts for Hart -- coach Luke Walton will make some changes. In addition to Hart being benched for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee will head to the pine in favor of Tyson Chandler.
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Lakers' JaVale McGee: Will come off bench
Rotowire
17H ago
McGee will come off the bench Tuesday against the Bulls, Mike Trudell of the Lakers' official site reports.
McGee will be replaced in the starting five with Tyson Chandler, with coach Luke Walton noting "vocal leadership" hasn't been as strong without LeBron James available and the Lakers winning just three of the past 10 games. It's not immediately clear if this move will be permanent, or if McGee's role will be significantly diminished.
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Lakers' Tyson Chandler: Confirmed starter Tuesday
Rotowire
17H ago
Chandler will start as expected Tuesday against the Bulls, Mike Trudell of the Lakers' official site reports.
With the Lakers losing seven of the past 10 games, coach Luke Walton seems to be looking for a spark. In starting Chandler over JaVale McGee, coach Walton pointed to Chandler's vocal leadership -- something that hasn't been as prominent with the starters since LeBron has been sidelined. It's not clear if this move will be permanent.
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Lakers' Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: Likely to draw start
Rotowire
17H ago
Caldwell-Pope is expected to move into the starting five Tuesday against the Bulls, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
The Lakers are 3-7 over the past 10, and coach Luke Walton seems to be looking for some sort of spark. As a result, Caldwell-Pope is likely to start over Josh Hart.
