While the Los Angeles Lakers closed out a four-game homestand with a thrilling come-from-behind win against the San Antonio Spurs, it came at the expense of Brandon Ingram as he suffered a sprained left ankle in the first quarter.
The injury occurred when Ingram went up for a midrange jump shot and he landed on the foot of Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge. Ingram immediately grabbed at his left foot/ankle as teammates, Lakers head coach Luke Walton and trainer Marco Nuñez gathered around him.
He shot the free throw on what was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 foul, then was immediately subbed out of the game. X-rays were negative and the Lakers diagnosed the third-year forward with the sprained ankle and deemed him questionable to return.
Ingram was then ruled out at halftime, finishing with 5 points and 1 block in just 5 minutes of action. Walton did not have an immediate update on Ingram’s status following the win and said he would be re-evaluated.
Ingram did not travel with the team and according to Tania Ganguli of the L.A. Times, will be re-evaluated in one week:
The Lakers just provided an update on Brandon Ingram after his MRI Thursday evening. It confirmed an ankle sprain and he will be re-evaluated in one week. They also said Michael Beasley has been excused from the team tonight to tend to his family health matter.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) December 8, 2018
Having already sat out Friday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the timetable provided means Ingram will miss at least two three games and possibly a fourth if he is not able to play Dec. 15.
Just as he indicated would likely be the case, Walton staggered Lonzo Ball and LeBron James to ensure one was available to run point guard with the bench unit.
Lance Stephenson was also mentioned as an option at backup point guard, and Isaac Bonga joined the team from South Bay. Though, the rookie presumably is present for depth purposes and in the event of emergency.
