SAN ANTONIO -- As if playing without Kobe Bryant wasn't enough for the Los Angeles Lakers to deal with in their first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs, they head back to L.A. down 2-0 with three other injured guards -- Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Jodie Meeks -- to monitor.
Nash will receive an epidural in his right hamstring Thursday, his third such injection in just more than a week as he continues to struggle with nerve damage stemming from a right hip injury sustained last month.
"Unfortunately, I tweaked it in the first half," said Nash, who totaled nine points and six assists in 32 minutes Wednesday night. "I tried to keep going. It got worse as the game went on."
Blake will receive an ultrasound on his right hamstring as well Thursday. He left with 4:51 remaining in the fourth quarter and had to be helped off the court by teammates after the game.
"It hurts right now," Blake said after scoring 16 points, tying him for the team lead with Dwight Howard, along with six rebounds and two assists. "If it's something that I can deal with, I'll deal with it, but I just don't know right now."
Blake said he hurt his hamstring while driving to his right and trying to beat his man off the dribble when he felt a "sharp pain."
"You almost can't even be surprised anymore," Blake said of the Lakers' extensive injury list this season. "It's been that kind of year. I'm just kind of emotional about it right now. I hoping it's nothing serious."
Meeks, who suffered a sprained left ankle in the Lakers' Game 1 loss Sunday, did not play in Wednesday's 102-91 loss, pulling himself out after pregame warm-ups. He is scheduled to receive an MRI on his ankle Thursday.
"I wanted to see if I could go but I couldn't really move," Meeks said. "It's disappointing because everybody wants to play, especially in the playoffs."
The Lakers host Game 3 at Staples Center on Friday.