While Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis Schroder was able to play in the team’s Thursday night game against the Boston Celtics, he did so under the burden of pain related to a foot infection.
Schroder, who had already been dealing with other injuries, played against the Celtics with the ball of his foot infected and giving him a great deal of pain.
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel praised the veteran’s gritty competitiveness, given his situation.
“The foot was a problem. He really almost did not play, but really wanted to be in there. (He) was in a lot of pain, it took a while for it to loosen up,” Vogel said. “But he definitely wanted to be in there, and credit to him for gutting it out and playing through pain.”
Schroder managed to play 28 minutes, finishing with eight points, eight assists and one rebound, while connecting on 3-of-8 from the field.
In the end, the Lakers were unable to forge a second-half comeback after trailing 61-48 at the break and lost 121-113. The loss drops the Lakers to 34-22 on the year.
Schroder, along with teammates such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis, hope to be back in good health next month when the Lakers are set to begin a spirited defense of last season’s NBA title.
