Lakers’ Steve Nash out at least two weeks because of back pain
Steve Nash will miss at least two weeks because of persistent nerve pain in his back, the Lakers said Monday.
Nash will have an epidural shot in his back Tuesday, a solution he tried with limited effect toward the end of last season. He was examined Monday by a back specialist, Dr. Robert Watkins, in Los Angeles.
Nash, who will be 40 in February, left Sunday’s loss to Minnesota in the second quarter because his back flared up.
He has also been bothered by ankle and neck soreness this season, on top of being sidelined almost two months last season because of a broken leg and subsequent nerve damage in the area.
“A lot of wear and tear, and a lot of mileage,” he said Sunday while leaving Staples Center. “There’s a lot going on.”
Nash’s back issue affects the feeling in his left hamstring, leading to lack of mobility and pain that is “nearly constant,” he said Monday.
He spent four or five months rehabbing his back during the off-season, but the soreness “slowly crept back in,” he said. The injury affected his right hamstring last season.
The NBA’s oldest point guard is averaging 6.7 points and 4.8 assists and shooting an abysmal 26%.
Steve Blake and backup point guard Jordan Farmar average almost identical numbers, about 10 points and five assists a game.
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