Starforward LeBron Jamesand starting center Deandre Ayton were among Lakers who were sidelined for Friday’s home game against the Pacers at Crypto.com Arena.
The team ruledJames out because of the bruised left elbow injuryhe suffered duringThursday’s road loss to the Nuggets, and left foot arthritis.
Ayton was ruled out because ofleft knee soreness that limited him against the Nuggets.
Backup big man Maxi Kleber was also sidelined for the second consecutive game because of a strained back.
The Lakers, who were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, have listed James on the injury report because of arthritis multiple times on the second night of back-to-backs since the 41-year-old, four-time MVP made his season debut in mid-November after he missed the first 14 games because of sciatica.
James,who was icing his left elbow during his postgame media availability at Ball Arena inside the visitor’s locker room, fell onto the court after Nuggets star Nikola Jokic made contact with him in the air while James made a layup to cut the Lakers’ deficit to 110-106 with just over four minutes left.
No foul was called, with James immediately grabbing at his left elbow and staying down on the court during the Nuggets’ ensuing possession.
Reserve big man Jaxson Hayes subbed in for James once James got up and the Lakers called timeout with 3:58 left.
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Mike Mancias, James’ longtime trainer and the Lakers’ athletic performance liaison, tended to James’ elbow while he was on the team’s bench after the timeout.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
