Lakers News: Jordan Clarkson, Tarik Black both sprain ankles, considered probable against Nuggets

Update: Both have been officially upgraded to “probable” via a tweet from the Lakers’ Twitter account for Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets. Original story follows.

As if Sunday night’s loss to the Detroit Pistons wasn’t painful enough, the Los Angeles Lakers now have a pair of guys with two healthy ankles between them. Jordan Clarkson and Tarik Black both sprained their ankles in the action, though both did sound hopeful about their chances at playing when the Lakers face the Denver Nuggets Tuesday night.

Tarik Black’s injury did seem more serious based on his immediate reaction. When he turned his ankle, he immediately went down and didn’t seem all that intent on getting back up. His getting up and walking under his own weight to the locker room was a pleasant surprise, honestly.

Clarkson, on the other hand, continued playing immediately. Now, this isn’t always a sure sign that he will be fine for Tuesday, as he has so much adrenaline pumping through him during a game and the swelling will set in completely overnight. Here’s what both guys had to say, via our own resident giraffe Harrison Faigen.

The Lakers are still missing Larry Nance, Jr., and as such, the bench that was once a force for any team to deal with has regressed back to earth. Losing Clarkson and Black would make an already dire situation borderline depressing.

All this said, the most important thing for all players involved is to make sure they are completely healthy whenever they make their returns, if they miss any time at all.