In the 117-85 loss to the Denver Nuggets, Lonzo Ball suffered an ankle sprain late in the second quarter and immediately headed back to the locker room. Although the Los Angeles Lakers considered him questionable to return, Ball was on the court to start the third.
Ball’s comeback was short-lived, however, as he didn’t appear to be moving without limitations. Josh Hart, battling through lingering ankle pain himself, checked in for Ball two minutes into the second half.
In 18 minutes, Ball finished with 7 points (3-of-6 shooting from the field and 1-for-4 shooting from the three-point line), 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
Following the loss, X-rays on Ball’s ankle returned negative and the Lakers have listed him as day-to-day, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic:
X-rays were negative on Lonzo Ball. Lakers considering him day-to-day with sprained left ankle.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) November 28, 2018
While that cast some doubt on his availability moving forward, the 21-year-old is determined to play Thursday against the Indiana Pacers:
Lonzo: “I’m playing Thursday.”
— Bill Oram (@billoram) November 28, 2018
After missing 30 games during the 2017-18 NBA season and having offseason knee surgery, Ball has not missed a game yet in his sophomore campaign. He previously tweaked his left ankle but finished that game and suited up the next night.
With the Lakers having a day off before they host the Pacers to begin a four-game homestand, the hope is he can get proper treatment. If Ball does need time to recover from his latest injury, head coach Luke Walton has previously relied on Brandon Ingram as the team’s starting point guard.
Along with LeBron James and Lance Stephenson helping out with the ball-handling duties, the Lakers could call up Alex Caruso, who is on a two-way contract.