Larry Nance Jr. gets his first start of the season with the Lakers

In the first 75 games of their season, the Lakers played 22 different starting lineups and none of them included Larry Nance Jr.

Nance finally got his chance Saturday in the Lakers’ 115-104 loss to the Clippers.

“We wanted to see Larry with the starters, going against starters,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said. “He’s one of our smarter players so it allows us to see how that affects the starting group. ... We were going to get him in the starting lineup at some point before the season ended. It’s just presented itself with Zu getting hurt.”

The Lakers lost their young center Ivica Zubac on Thursday in Minnesota when he suffered a right high ankle sprain. He will be reevaluated after two weeks have passed.

So Walton went small Saturday afternoon, starting Nance at center with Julius Randle at power forward. D’Angelo Russell started at shooting guard, Jordan Clarkson at point guard and Brandon Ingram at small forward.

As they adjusted to their new lineup, the Lakers’ start wasn’t spectacular. The Clippers opened the game on a 17-0 run before the Lakers pushed back to make the game competitive.

“I’m more used to playing with a traditional big,” Nance said. “A Zu, a [Tarik Black]. Guys that play the five. With me and Julius both out there playing the four and a half position, it was nice because me and him could switch with guards with each other. It took us a little while to figure out obviously, but once we did there was good flow to it, good movement. We were able to switch and cause some trouble.”

Nance finished the game with eight points, four rebounds, two steals, three assists and one turnover.

Ingram returns

Ingram smiled at the question.

Did he have a little pent-up aggression to release Saturday after missing three games with patellar tendinitis in his right knee? “Yeah I think there was,” Ingram said. “I just wanted to get out there and play. That’s what we come here and do every single day. Luckily we get paid for it.”

Ingram scored 18 points Saturday, 10 of them in the fourth quarter. He might have scored more, but Walton removed Ingram from the lineup with 3 minutes 8 seconds left in the game. The Lakers had cut the Clippers’ lead from 21 at the start of the fourth quarter all the way down to eight. Walton removed Ingram and Tyler Ennis from the lineup and replaced them with Russell and Clarkson.

Ingram had been playing well before the Lakers pulled him to manage his injury. He’d scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games until the Lakers sat him for his recovery.

“It was important for me to keep building, come out here and show some aggressiveness,” Ingram said. “I had a little rest where I could come back and reflect on what I’ve been doing.”

Ingram said after the game his knee felt fine. As long as the pain doesn’t return between Saturday and Sunday’s game, Ingram will remain in the starting lineup.

Etc.

David Nwaba scored a career-high 19 points against the Clippers. Nwaba was part of a second unit that energized the Lakers and allowed them to crawl back from an early double-digit deficit. ... Thomas Robinson was the Lakers’ first sub in the game. He scored 16 points with nine rebounds. Although Robinson has been practicing his three-point shot, he missed the only one he attempted Saturday. As he spoke about it postgame, Walton overheard and asked what the point was of his working on it if he refused to shoot it. “I choked,” Robinson said, sheepishly.

UP NEXT

VS. MEMPHIS

When: 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Staples Center.

On the air: TV: Spectrum SportsNet, Spectrum Deportes; Radio: 710, 1330.

Records: Lakers 21-55; Grizzlies 42-34.

Record vs. Grizzlies: 1-1.

Update: The Lakers got Memphis the last time these teams played, but the Grizzlies are squarely in the playoff picture — currently the seventh seed in the West. The Grizzlies have lost their last four road games, but are 6-4 in their last 10 overall.

tania.ganguli@latimes.com

Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli