Lakers’ Nick Young gets a hug from Lakers# 16 Pau Gasol after he is fouled in the first half. The Lakers played the Portland Trail Blazers in a regular season game at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. April 1, 2014 (Photo by John McCoy / Los Angeles Daily News)
The Lakers will not feature a Pau Gasol and Chris Kaman as a starting tandem, and the reasons will not involve Mike D’Antoni’s preference to have a smaller lineup.
Gasol will miss the Lakers’ game tonight against the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena after having a severe recurrence of vertigo following the team’s 124-112 loss to Portland on Tuesday at Staples Center. Gasol will stay incapacitated in his Sacramento hotel room and will either fly tonight on the Lakers’ charter plane or sometime time later on a commercial flight depending on his recovery.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have listed Chris Kaman as a game-time decision after being bothered by a right calf strain. Possible replacements in the Lakers’ starting lineup would include Jordan Hill, Robert Sacre and Ryan Kelly.
After missing the past four games because of vertigo, Gasol suggested he may have returned too early after posting a listless nine points on 4-of-9 shooting, seven assists and four rebounds.
“I wasn’t confident out there. I wasn’t assertive enough,” Gasol said. “I didn’t feel confident enough to make aggressive moves or turns. When I turned my head a couple of times, everything was still kind of shaking.”
Kaman also looked sluggish with his 12-point performance on 6 of 16 shooting and six rebounds. During Gasol’s previous absence, however, Kaman provided some decent performances, including posting a season-high 28 points Sunday against Phoenix. Kaman had recently nursed soreness to his right foot.
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Follow L.A. Daily Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com