Deandre Ayton has played a key role for the Los Angeles Lakers in his first season with the team. The 7-foot center signed with the Lakers in the offseason after being waived by the Portland Trail Blazers.
Entering Thursday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets, Ayton had produced averages of 12.8 points on 66.8% shooting and 8.3 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per contest. The 27-year-old made his 54th start for the Lakers on Thursday night.
Unfortunately for Ayton, he was forced to exit the game in the first half. The former No. 1 overall pick left the contest with a knee injury.
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Ayton headed to the locker room after an incident in the second quarter. It was not immediately clear what caused the injury, but he was not able to return to the bench.
The Lakers made an announcement shortly after halftime. As it turns out, Ayton will not be able to come back for the rest of the game.
The Lakers have not provided the full details of Ayton’s injury. However, it’s significant enough for him to miss the remainder of the contest. Ayton finished Thursday’s matchup with zero points and two rebounds after less than five minutes of action.
It was backup center Jaxson Hayes who started the second half in place of Ayton. This could be the trend moving forward if Ayton is forced to miss time. The former Arizona Wildcats star will undergo tests to determine the extent of his injury, and the Lakers should provide a more substantial update soon.
L.A. entered Thursday’s matchup against Denver with a 37-24 record. As of writing, they are sixth in the Western Conference and just 0.5 games behind the fifth-seeded Nuggets.
The Lakers play on the second night of a back-to-back set on Friday. They will host the Indiana Pacers at Crypto.com Arena.
