Prior to Tuesday night’s contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Lakers ruled out Jaxson Hayes (back soreness) and Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain). Neither were on the injury report, but after warming up obviously felt they weren’t able to play.
They joined LeBron James on the sidelines as the Lakers star was also ruled out of his third straight game with hip and foot issues.
That left the Lakers extremely shorthanded in the frontcourt against a Timberwolves team that relies heavily on its size. Starting center Deandre Ayton is still in the lineup, but after him, the Lakers will have to play two-way center Drew Timme or go small for the rest of the night.
This game has some big standings implications as the Lakers are just one game behind the Timberwolves for the third seed in the West. L.A. already beat Minnesota twice earlier this season, so they own the tiebreaker if it were to come to that.”
It’s unclear how serious the injuries are for Hayes and Kleber, but their status will be worth monitoring leading up to Thursday’s contest against the Chicago Bulls, and the same can be said for James.
Austin Reaves praises growth of Jaxson Hayes
Jaxson Hayes is having a really solid season for the Lakers, recently drawing praise from teammate Austin Reaves for the growth he has shown.
“I think maturity,” Reaves said when asked where Hayes’ biggest growth has been this season. “The way he approaches the game day-to-day, does what he needs to do in his off time around the gym, gets his work in, takes care of his body. And then, just the preparation that he puts into it. You can tell he is growing in those aspects and that’s just made him a better player. Yeah, we could probably all agree that this is some of the best basketball he’s played in his career. Happy for him. We need him to continue to do it, it’s a big part of what we’re gonna do.”
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