A new injury wave has hit the Los Angeles Lakers with Juan Toscano-Anderson joining four of his teammates on the injury list on Wednesday.
Patrick Beverley, Wenyen Gabriel, and LeBron James missed the 126-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors with injuries and Anthony Davis sat out the clash due to a non-COVID illness. And in the fourth quarter of that matchup with the Raptors, Toscano-Anderson had to leave the court after stepping on Thomas Bryant’s foot and spraining his ankle.
In a worrying sign, the 29-year-old wing couldn’t put much weight on his leg after he got hurt and needed to be helped off the floor. However, it seems like Toscano-Anderson avoided a serious injury as the Lakers announced that hr suffered a right ankle sprain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Toscano-Anderson enjoyed extended minutes before the injury cut his performance short. He logged three points, two assists, and three rebounds in 16 minutes. The former Golden State Warriors player averages 2.2 points, 0.6 assists, and 1.8 rebounds, clocking 10.4 minutes per game in 14 appearances this season.
Luckily for the Lakers, the other injured players shouldn’t be out for too long. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has said Davis’ status is day-to-day as the forward battles his illness. Meanwhile, Beverley and James grapple with minor knee and ankle soreness, respectively, and L.A. rested them on Wednesday out of precaution.
The Purple and Gold will want to have their stars back on Friday when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers — hoping to get back in the win column after suffering back-to-back losses earlier this week.
L.A. has gone 2-2 during the current six-game road trip so far, meaning they need to win the remaining two matchups to come back home with more wins than losses during that stretch.
Ham says ‘it sucks’ to see Toscano-Anderson go down with ankle injury
After the game, Ham described how he felt seeing Toscano-Anderson getting hurt, emphasizing his value as a role player. It sucks,” Ham said.
“One, he is a good soldier for us. He brings championship credibility from a championship organization in Golden State. You can never have too many of those guys — guys who are going to go out and be selfless whether they get minutes or not get minutes. Just be a pro, keeping themselves ready, keeping themselves functioning properly, thinking properly. You know, all aligned within the spirit of the group.”
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