Injuries have taken a toll on the Los Angeles Lakers during their first two games at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Second-year forward Brandon Ingram was the first to go down with a leg cramp in the first game against the Los Angeles Clippers and now rookie Josh Hart is dealing with a sprained ankle which he suffered in the loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday.
According to Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News, Hart’s ankle issue will keep him off the floor for the Lakers’ third game at the Thomas & Mack Center on Monday night:
Lakers diagnose Josh Hart with a sprained right ankle. He'll miss Monday's game vs Kings
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) July 10, 2017
Including tonight’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings, the Lakers will play a minimum of three more games in Summer League. Hart’s status beyond tonight’s game remains uncertain, but the team could go with the cautious approach in the same way they did with Ingram in terms of ruling him out the rest of the way.
In the first two games against the Clippers and Celtics, Hart averaged 10.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest while shooting 38.1 percent from the floor. Decent numbers for the rookie in 22.5 minutes per game.
Rookie point guard Lonzo Ball will continue to be the star attraction on Monday night with the Lakers going up against the division rival Kings. This game will have a little more meaning than the previous two. Lonzo will go head-to-head against fellow rookie De’Aaron Fox who got the best of the former UCLA star in their last meeting in the NCAA Tournament in which Fox led Kentucky over the Bruins while dropping 39 on Ball.
The Lakers and Kings facing off will be the last game of the night at the Thomas & Mack Center. The matchup is scheduled to get underway at 7:30 p.m. PT.