As the Los Angeles Lakers were delivering a blowout win over the New Orleans Pelicans, the team’s standout center Deandre Ayton appeared to have suffered an injury.
With a little over seven minutes to go, Ayton was defending in the paint, before grabbing at his knee during gameplay. The Lakers stopped the action with a timeout, which allowed Ayton to get back to the bench. He slowly walked back with a limp, showing signs of being in clear pain.
According to reports, Lakers head coach JJ Redick addressed the setback by stating that the veteran center was in “terrific spirits” in the locker room after the game. Considering the injury is very recent, Redick didn’t have any further updates on Ayton.
By the time Ayton went out, the Lakers were in clear control of the matchup against the Pelicans. Ayton finished the game with 27 minutes played. He shot 7-9 from the field and 8-8 from the charity stripe to rack up 22 points. He secured a double-double on the night with 12 rebounds. On defense, Ayton blocked four shots.
Ayton left his situation with the Portland Trail Blazers on a low note, but he’s been off to an impressive start with the Lakers so far. In the 16 games leading up to Sunday’s action, Ayton has averaged 15.6 points while shooting 70 percent from the field. He has come down with an average of 8.4 rebounds per game and blocked nearly one shot per game.
Recently, Ayton missed action due to a knee contusion, which occurred exactly one week ago. The Lakers’ center missed the November 25 matchup between the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers. When the Lakers faced the Dallas Mavericks three nights later, Ayton made his return and had a near-flawless game, as he produced 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.
The Lakers will be back in action on Monday night to face the Phoenix Suns. Ayton will be a player to monitor, as he could be in danger of missing his third game of the season.
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