The Los Angeles Lakers released their injury report for Saturday’s road game against the L.A. Clippers and Deandre Ayton (left elbow soreness), Austin Reaves (left calf strain) and Gabe Vincent (low back soreness) remain out while Rui Hachimura (right groin soreness) is questionable.
Reaves has missed the last two games with the calf injury but the Lakers were confident that he wouldn’t miss more than a week of action.
Considering it is a calf injury though, the Lakers aren’t hesitate to sit Reaves out for at least one more game so he can get back to feeling 100% healthy and ready to go.
Meanwhile, Ayton is also out again after missing the Lakers’ win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night with the elbow issue. Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber both played well in his absence, but Ayton has gotten off to a tremendous start to the season with the Lakers and has been a key piece with his efficient scoring and defensive rebounding.
It remains to be seen how long the big man will be out, but Hayes and Kleber should see a bulk of the center minutes once again.
Hachimura is popping up on the injury report for the first time with a groin injury. It’s unclear when it occurred, but his status is now in jeopardy against the Clippers. Hachimura has been a sharpshooter for the Lakers this season, which won’t be easy to replace if he is unable to play.
LeBron James ‘dodged a bullet’ in Lakers win over Jazz
LeBron James appeared to hurt his knee in the Lakers’ win over the Jazz but he was able to shake it off and finish the game.
“Just a little bump to the knee, like a sharp pain to the knee. I got kneed on the inside, kind of like the medial side of the knee,” James said of the incident. “Just kind of wanted to take my time a little bit as it calmed down or whatever the case may be, hoping it calmed down. I told Mike (Mancias), my trainer, I told him that we dodged a bullet there.”
Given LeBron’s age and mileage, these small injuries can linger so hopefully it is not an issue for him and the Lakers moving forward. It’s good to see that he is not listed on the injury report though, which signals he is good to go for the matchup with the Clippers.
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