LOS ANGELES -- The hits keep on coming for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kent Bazemore had an MRI exam Monday morning that showed a torn peroneus longus tendon in his right foot, the team announced. The injury will require surgery and keep Bazemore out of the final five games of the Lakers’ season.
Bazemore fell to the floor with 10:03 left in the second quarter of Sunday’s 120-97 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. It was a non-contact injury and Bazemore told reporters after the game he “felt a pop” in the foot.
A timetable for Bazemore’s return will be provided following his surgery, according to the Lakers.
The second-year guard has experience with a foot injury of this nature. He fractured his left foot before his senior year in college at Old Dominion and had to have a permanent screw placed in his foot for stabilization.
Acquired at the trade deadline from the Golden State Warriors for Steve Blake, Bazemore has averaged 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 28 minutes in 23 games with the Lakers. He averaged only 6.1 minutes per game with the Warriors.
"It's an overuse injury," Bazemore said on Sunday. "From going from playing six minutes to 35 minutes [per game]. It's no one's fault. It's just the penalty for working hard, playing a lot of minutes. It just happens."
Despite the injury, there is a strong chance Bazemore will be back with the Lakers next season. L.A. can make him a restricted free agent this summer with a $1.1 million qualifying offer. The 24-year old has impressed the Lakers coaching staff with his athleticism and versatility in being able to play shooting guard, small forward and even point guard.
Bazemore becomes the third Lakers player to have his season shut down prematurely because of an injury, joining Kobe Bryant (left knee) and Xavier Henry (left wrist and right knee). Henry will undergo surgery Friday on his wrist and knee, the Lakers also announced.
The Lakers will play on, however, beginning at home Tuesday against the Houston Rockets.
They’ll be shorthanded, with Pau Gasol (vertigo) already ruled out, Chris Kaman (right calf) considered doubtful and Steve Nash (back), Jordan Farmar (right groin) and Nick Young (left knee) all listed as questionable.