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Lakers’ Xavier Henry has a torn ligament in left wrist

Xavier Henry gets by Washington's Trevor Ariza as Lakers teammate Jordan Hill looks on.
(Michael Nelson / EPA)
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Xavier Henry suffered a torn ligament in his left wrist in Friday’s game, an MRI exam revealed Saturday. He will see a specialist to determine the severity of the injury.

Henry might have been injured when he made a layup and stopped himself using the basket support.

He played only eight games after missing more than two months because of a bone bruise and cartilage abnormality in his right knee. He is averaging 10.1 points this season.

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Lottery battle

The 2009 NBA Finals weren’t that long ago, were they?

Derek Fisher nailed some clutch three-pointers in a series-turning Game 4, Kobe Bryant had 30 points, six rebounds, five assists in the Game 5 clincher, and the Lakers won their 15th championship while the Orlando Magic stayed stuck on zero.

Now the Lakers (22-46) and Magic (19-51) are fighting for something else — lottery position.

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They’ll meet Sunday at Staples Center, wrecked teams hoping to finish among the top three when draft day comes in June. The Magic has been slightly worse than the Lakers, currently holding the NBA’s third-worst record and showing few signs of a late-season revival.

The top three picks are considered to be (in no particular order) Kansas forward Andrew Wiggins, Duke forward Jabari Parker and Kansas center Joel Embiid, who has been sidelined by a stress fracture in his back.

Etc.

Washington forward Drew Gooden was fined $15,000 by the NBA for “clamping” Nick Young’s arm and trying to throw him down late in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game. It sparked a minor skirmish in which Jordan Hill was ejected. Gooden was also thrown out.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

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Twitter: @Mike_Bresnahan

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