Deandre Ayton Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Notes: Habits, LaRavia, Ayton, Hachimura, Vincent, Luka

January 5th, 2026 at 10:56pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers went 5-7 during the month of December. More disturbing than their record was the fact that they repeatedly displayed poor habits that frequently frustrated head coach JJ Redick, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic.

While most of Los Angeles’ issues show up on the defensive end, there have been several instances in which the team has simply lacked the “energy, effort and execution” necessary to win NBA games, according to Woike. That often manifests in a lack of focus and attention to detail — Redick said the Lakers failed to execute eight of their 12 designed plays after timeouts during Friday’s win over Memphis.

“In order to win, and at the highest level, you have to be able to do the simple things,” LeBron James said. “You have to be able to execute after timeouts, dead balls. You have to execute coming out of the locker room. You have to have a game plan, execute that. So you can’t execute the big things if you don’t execute the small things and play winning basketball from that standpoint.”

Jake LaRavia is one player whose defensive effort hasn’t waned this season, Woike adds. The fourth-year forward had another big game in Sunday’s victory over the Grizzlies, recording 26 points (on 9-of-16 shooting), five rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes.

“We knew that he was, by the metrics, a disruptive defender, something that we were really searching for, because we were bottom third in the league last year in blocks, steals and deflections,” Redick said in explaining reasons the Lakers targeted LaRavia in free agency. “He’s probably better defensively. Yeah, he is better defensively. He’s been one of our most consistent guys, if not our most consistent guy, on that end of the floor.

“But I think the thing that stands out with him is, you know, I was talking with a close friend of mine the other day about Jake, and I was just telling him, like, he’s one of the guys that his care factor is high all the time. Those are the guys that are really, really fun to coach.”

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After being benched for the fourth quarter on Friday, starting center Deandre Ayton responded with a much better performance in Sunday’s rematch with Memphis, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Redick said Ayton was “frustrated” by his lack of touches during Friday’s game and the team made a concerted effort to get him the ball on Sunday. “He was great throughout the game,” Redick said of Ayton, who finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. “I think that was good for him to just touch the basketball and feel like he’s part of the offense. It’s a tale as old as time for a big guy. That’s the reality of being a big: Someone has to pass you the ball. You’re not initiating the offense.”
While the team is optimistic his injury won’t be a long-term issue, forward Rui Hachimura will be out at least two more games, as he won’t travel for the back-to-back road trip at New Orleans and San Antonio, tweets veteran NBA reporter Mark Medina. Hachimura is dealing with a right calf ailment which the Lakers are now calling a strain.
As McMenamin relays (via Twitter), guard Gabe Vincent has a chance to play Tuesday in New Orleans — he’s listed as questionable after missing the last eight games due to a lumbar back strain.
Lakers Daily recently reported that Luka Doncic is dealing with “sharp” pain in both of his legs. According to Woike’s sources, that information is not accurate (Twitter link).

Lakers Notes: LaRavia, Hayes, Knecht, Vincent, Trade Deadline

January 3rd, 2026 at 9:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers got a scoring boost from Jake LaRavia in Friday’s win over Memphis, writes Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times (subscription required). Inserted into the starting lineup the past two games because of an injury to Rui Hachimura, LaRavia sparked the offense with 11 points in the first quarter and 18 in the first half. He finished with 21 points and nine rebounds while shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.

“When I just talk about roles and the amount of hats that I can wear with this team, some nights, this is what happens,” LaRavia said. “Other nights I’m that defender, connector, crasher, like all that kind of stuff. So just continuing to play confidently throughout but also understanding what my role is going to be each game.”

Nguyen notes that the Lakers targeted LaRavia in free agency because of his combination of three-point shooting and defensive versatility. He has helped the team survive a rash of early-season injuries, but his scoring has fluctuated as he’s moved in and out of the rotation. Friday marked the first time he has reached 20 points in a game since November 2, and his three-point shooting has dropped to an uncharacteristically low 32% this season.

“I’m just working on my shot, starting with the basics again, and just kind of going from there,” LaRavia said. “And, you know, hopefully I can find my rhythm again. And tonight was just the start.”

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Jaxson Hayes played nearly the entire fourth quarter on Friday, getting crunch-time minutes ahead of starting center Deandre Ayton, Nguyen states in the same piece. Coach JJ Redick explained that he opted to stay with Hayes because “he was playing better.” He finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in 23 minutes. “His ability to control the paint for us has been huge,” Marcus Smart said of Hayes.“… Just his ability to go get the ball at the highest point when we throw it and then defensively to alter shots, whether he’s blocking them or just changing shots for us, allows our defense to pick it up from our guards even more. To have that urgency that he brings, that’s huge.”
Redick promised that Dalton Knecht will get “consistent” playing time over the next few weeks, Nguyen adds. Redick also said the second-year forward will be judged by more than just his shooting percentage.
Gabe Vincent will miss Sunday’s rematch with Memphis as he continues to experience lower back soreness, but Redick indicated that he might be available during the upcoming road trip to New Orleans and San Antonio, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register (Twitter link).
Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register contends that the Lakers aren’t good enough to compete for a title with their current roster and calls on general manager Rob Pelinka to be aggressive at the trade deadline to avoid wasting a year of Luka Doncic‘s prime.

Injury Notes: Lakers, Knicks, Daniels, Watson, McConnell

December 22nd, 2025 at 5:33pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers head coach JJ Redick provided encouraging updates on injured guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves on Monday, tweets Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group.

Doncic, who didn’t play in the second half of Saturday’s loss to the Clippers, has a lower left leg contusion and is considered day-to-day. The 26-year-old had the bruised area taped during the portion of Monday’s practice that was open to the media, Price notes.

Reaves was able to go through portions of Monday’s practice and is also considered day-to-day, Redick said. The fifth-year guard has missed the past three games with a left calf strain the team described as mild.

[UPDATE: Doncic is out Tuesday at Phoenix, but Reaves has been upgraded to questionable, the Lakers announced (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin).]

Starting center Deandre Ayton should return to action on Tuesday, according to Price. Ayton won’t be listed on the team’s injury report after sitting out the past two contests due to a sore left elbow.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

The Knicks will be shorthanded on Tuesday, as Eastern Conference Player of the Week Jalen Brunson (right ankle injury management), defensive ace OG Anunoby (left ankle soreness) and backup big man Guerschon Yabusele (illness) have all been ruled out ahead of the contest at Minnesota, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Brunson missed a couple of games in mid-November due to a right ankle sprain.
Reigning Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels has been ruled out of the Hawks‘ rematch with Chicago on Tuesday due to right hip inflammation, according to Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks (Twitter link). It will be Daniels’ first absence of the 2025/26 campaign. Reserve forward/center Mouhamed Gueye is also on the injury report, having been listed as questionable with a right shoulder sprain.
Nuggets forward Peyton Watson, who was kneed in between the hip and rib areas last Monday, had a minor setback in terms of the pain he’s experiencing from the injury, head coach David Adelman said ahead of Saturday’s loss to Houston (Twitter link via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette). While Watson has been out most of the past three games with the right trunk contusion, it doesn’t sound like a long-term issue — Adelman said the former first-round pick had a 50% chance to play Saturday before he was ruled out.
Veteran Pacers guard T.J. McConnell will be sidelined for Monday’s game vs. Boston due to left knee soreness, as Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files relays (via Twitter). McConnell missed the first 10 games of the season with a strained hamstring, but had been active for the past 18 contests heading into Monday.

Luka Doncic Leaves Game With Left Leg Contusion

December 21st, 2025 at 7:55am CST by Arthur Hill

The short-handed Lakers suffered another significant loss Saturday night when Luka Doncic didn’t return to the game after halftime due to a contusion on his left leg, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Doncic entered the contest as the NBA’s leading scorer at 35.2 points per game, but he was noticeably off during the first half. He shot just 4-of-13 from the field and 1-of-6 from beyond the arc, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and four turnovers in 19:34.

“I saw him hobbling towards the end of the first half. He came to me at halftime and said he couldn’t go,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “… I don’t have any other information.”

Doncic left the arena without talking to reporters, and Redick declined to speculate how much time he might miss. A source familiar with the injury told McMenamin it occurred in a collision with Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic.

Durability concerns were among the reasons Dallas decided to trade Doncic last February, but he has been mostly healthy in his first full season with the Lakers, appearing in 21 of the team’s first 27 games. McMenamin notes that he missed three games in late October with a lower left leg contusion, but there doesn’t appear to be any connection between that injury and the latest one.

The Lakers were already missing three starters coming into the game, with Austin Reaves out due to a left calf strain, Deandre Ayton dealing with left elbow pain and Rui Hachimura suffering soreness in his groin. All the injuries appear to be short-term, as Redick indicated that Reaves and Ayton could be available for Tuesday’s game at Phoenix, while Hachimura might be sidelined for three-to-five days.

Second-year forward Dalton Knecht started the second half in place of Doncic and finished with two points and four rebounds in 13:29 as the Lakers dropped a 15-point decision to their crosstown rivals. LeBron James scored a season-high 36 points to keep the game competitive, but the rest of the team shot 19-of-60 (31.7%) from the field and 3-of-31 (9.7%) from three-point range.

“No matter what the circumstances are, it’s still next man up,” James said of the injuries. “We’re all professionals. We all got to stay ready. So, obviously it’s very challenging circumstances for our ball club tonight, but I think we played extremely hard, we followed our keys. We just came up short.”

Pacific Notes: Kuminga, Green, Raynaud, Murray, Hachimura, D. Jones, Allen

December 20th, 2025 at 11:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Scott Ostler of The San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required) has a prescription for fixing the Warriors that includes trading Jonathan Kuminga and removing Draymond Green from the starting lineup, at least on a temporary basis. He contends that significant changes are required to jump-start a team that had lost three straight games coming into tonight and is in peril of slipping out of a play-in spot.

Ostler argues that Kuminga, who will be eligible to be dealt on January 15, has become too much of a distraction because of his up-and-down play and his constantly changing status in coach Steve Kerr‘s rotation. Kuminga returned to action Thursday after being held out of the previous three games, but he played just 9:31 and missed four of his five shots from the field. Ostler believes Kuminga still has trade value because there are rival teams who think he hasn’t been given a legitimate chance to succeed and he would be better off if he’s freed from Golden State’s system.

Green should come off the bench for at least a game or two, Ostler adds, due to his persistent turnover issues (3.3 per game this season compared to a career average of 2.3) and his poor shooting (39.1% coming into Saturday’s game). Ostler predicts Green would accept the move and it would allow the team to surround Stephen Curry with at least three other shooters in the starting lineup.

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Rookie center Maxime Raynaud will be the Kings‘ starting center “for the foreseeable future” after Friday’s announcement that Domantas Sabonis will miss at least four-to-five more weeks, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (subscription required). The French big man, who was taken with the 42nd pick in this year’s draft, has been productive since moving into the starting lineup, averaging 15.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists over the past five games while shooting 53.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. Coach Doug Christie juggled his starting lineup on Thursday, Anderson adds, moving Keegan Murray from power forward to small forward, which the organization views as his “future” position.
Lakers coach J.J. Redick said “the hope” is that Rui Hachimura will only be sidelined for three-to-five days with groin soreness, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Hachimura started to feel discomfort in his hip area during Thursday’s game at Utah. Redick also said Deandre Ayton (left elbow) and Austin Reaves (left calf) are both making progress and could be ready for Tuesday’s contest at Phoenix.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said Derrick Jones Jr., who’s sidelined with an MCL sprain, has begun playing in five-on-five scrimmages, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Murray suggests that Jones might be able to beat his projected timetable for a return in early January.
Suns guard Grayson Allen missed his second straight game tonight with soreness in his right knee, but he’s expected back soon, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). “No setbacks. He’s doing more and more every day,” coach Jordan Ott said. “It’s going on the right direction. Then we’re hopeful that it continues and he’ll be out there soon.”

Injury Notes: Markkanen, Davis, Lakers, Grizzlies, Mann

December 19th, 2025 at 11:23pm CST by Rory Maher

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen is likely to miss his second straight game on Saturday vs. Orlando, with Utah officially listing him as doubtful due to right groin injury management (hat tip to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune).

The 28-year-old is off to a strong start to the 2025/26 campaign, averaging a career-high 27.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steal on .469/.352/.893 shooting through 24 games (35.3 minutes per contest). Second-year big man Kyle Filipowski started Thursday’s loss to the Lakers with Markkanen out.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Mavericks big man Anthony Davis battled through an illness and a left calf contusion in Thursday’s overtime victory over Detroit, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. “Still feel under the weather,” said Davis, who finished with 15 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks in 37 minutes. “I actually threw up twice during the game, but I’m just trying to compete. I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help the team win. Just leaving it all on the floor.” Davis was returning from a one-game absence due to the calf issue.
The Lakers will continue to be without starters Austin Reaves (left calf strain) and Deandre Ayton (left elbow soreness) for Saturday’s contest at the Clippers, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic. Forward Rui Hachimura is questionable to suit up due to right groin soreness.
An eye-popping nine Grizzlies will be unavailable for Saturday’s game in Washington, the team announced (via Twitter). A pair of two-way players (GG Jackson II and Jahmai Mashack) are on a G League assignment, but the other seven players — including Ja Morant (left ankle sprain) and Vince Williams Jr. (left knee soreness) — are out due to injuries.
Hornets guard Tre Mann could return to action on Saturday in Detroit, having been listed as probable to suit up (Twitter link via the team). Mann has missed the past seven games, with his most recent injury designation being a right knee bone bruise. Pat Connaughton (right calf strain) is questionable for Charlotte, while Collin Sexton is doubtful as he continues to deal with a left quad strain.

Lakers Notes: Doncic, Ayton, Knecht, Vanderbilt

December 17th, 2025 at 9:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Lakers are tied for the fourth-best record in the league, but head coach JJ Redick isn’t satisfied, demanding that the team lock in more on defense, writes Dave McMenamin for ESPN. Luka Doncic took those words to heart and says he’s committed to leading the way.

“We talked about a lot, not just that, but [Redick] was right,” Doncic said. “You got to get a little bit more, especially from the star players. So that’s on us. That’s on me. And we just got to give more, especially at the start the game. We got to start the game better.”

The Lakers have the NBA’s 20th-best defense entering Wednesday’s game while ranking 23rd in opponent fast-break points and 28th in opponent three-point percentage. According to McMenamin, with the time off afforded to the Lakers as a result of the NBA Cup schedule, the coaching staff walked the team through specific examples of where it’s lacking and what it needs to do better.

McMenamin adds that Sunday’s win against the Suns was the Lakers’ first contest following the edict issued by the coaches, and the results were on display during an eight-minute stretch of the third quarter in which Phoenix was held scoreless.

“We should be like that,” Doncic said. “Like JJ said, ‘We told on ourselves’ and we should look at that clip. Phoenix is one of the most physical teams in the NBA, so we did a pretty good job there.”

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Deandre Ayton has been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Jazz with left elbow soreness, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Ayton played a key role in Sunday’s win against the Suns, scoring 20 points on 11 shots and adding 13 rebounds and two steals. Austin Reaves remains out with the left calf strain that sidelined him on Sunday, while Gabe Vincent is questionable due to back soreness.
Dalton Knecht was assigned to the South Bay Lakers G League team on Monday to get some playing time while the team was on its short break. It was his first time being sent to the G League, according to Khobi Price of the Orange County Register, who notes that Knecht has only played 56 minutes over the last month. “He’s gonna get opportunities on this team,” Redick said. “He’s already had some opportunities. He’s played well in some. He’s gonna help us at some point. But right now, he needs to play, and he needs to have fun playing.” Knecht responded by posting 30 points with six made three-pointers in his South Bay debut (Twitter video link).
Jarred Vanderbilt rejoined the Lakers’ rotation for the first time in more than a month on Sunday and quickly made himself a critical part of the win, writes Dan Woike for The Athletic. The 6’8″ forward had six offensive rebounds in 15 minutes and added a three-pointer, a block, and two steals. It was only Vanderbilt’s second game since mid-November, but he took the demotion in stride. “It’s a long season. It’s still early, so I know whether guys getting injured or something like that, the opportunity (was) gonna come back around,” Vanderbilt said. “And the biggest thing is being ready for it mentally. And obviously doing your part on the court and, showing up to practice and being a good teammate and stuff like that, but yeah, my main thing was just staying ready. ‘Cause I knew eventually, at some point, opportunity was gonna come and I wanted to be ready for it.“

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Smart, Ayton, Kleber, Luka, Reaves, Borrego

December 1st, 2025 at 8:32pm CST by Rory Maher

As expected, LeBron James is not on the Lakers‘ injury report for Monday’s game vs. Phoenix, which indicates he’ll be available to play, as Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group tweets.

The superstar forward sat out Sunday’s game with what the team called left foot injury management. Head coach JJ Redick explained prior to the win over New Orleans that Los Angeles was “just being cautious” with James, who has been dealing with a foot issue, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter links). Redick added that the team hopes to have James available for back-to-backs in the future.

The NBA’s oldest player extended his own league record last season by making his 21st consecutive All-NBA team — no other player has more than 15 total All-NBA appearances. James, who missed the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica on his right side, must play in 61 of the Lakers’ final 63 games in order to remain eligible to continue that streak, due to the 65-game rule.

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While James will return tonight, veteran guard Marcus Smart will miss his third straight game — and his injury designation has changed from lower back spasms to lower back injury management, Price notes. Redick expressed confidence on Monday that the 31-year-old would be back sooner rather later, calling him day-to-day, per Jovan Buha (Twitter link). “We expect him to be back soon,” Redick said. “It’s not a long-term thing.”
Starting center Deandre Ayton appeared to aggravate a right knee bruise in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, an injury which cost him about a game-and-a-half last week, Woike tweets. However, the Lakers held a comfortable lead at the time and the former No. 1 overall pick isn’t on the team’s injury report ahead of Monday’s game.
As Woike details in an entertaining story for The Athletic, during a poor stretch of play in the third quarter in which their lead was trimmed to 11 points, backup big man Maxi Kleber inexplicably air-balled an open layup on an and-one attempt (YouTube link), causing his teammates on the bench to start laughing. “We were just caught off guard. … We all thought he was going to dunk it. … Shot a fade-away layup. Crazy,” Gabe Vincent said Sunday. The Lakers immediately went on an 8-0 run after the moment of levity, which also served as a reminder of the good vibes around the team — the players often make fun of each other in a lighthearted way, Woike writes. “It’s very important,” Kleber said. “It’s a long season. Obviously, this was a funny play. But it could be serious, where we have a bad stretch, or a bad game, and it’s important that we stick together as a team. And that we can laugh about things and just work it out and not take it too hard. Because we know we’re good. And I think it helps to regain focus quickly.”
It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Lakers won their seventh straight contest on Sunday to improve to 15-4 on the season. Backcourt stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves combined for 67 points and 15 assists, notes Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times, becoming just the fourth pair of teammates in the past 50 years to each score at least 30 points in three consecutive games. “The gravity that he has on the court, it’s impossible to guard him any certain way because [of] his ability to pass the ball, his unselfishness and his shot-making ability,” Reaves said of Doncic. “Then, once you blitz him, then you have advantage basketball and we like our chances.”
Prior to Sunday’s game, Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego reflected on being a finalist for the Lakers’ coaching vacancy during the 2024 offseason, which ultimately went to Redick (Twitter video link via Dave McMenamin of ESPN). “I grew up a Lakers fan, number one, so to come here and interview for the job was so surreal and like a dream,” Borrego said in part.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Lakers, Gillespie, Kings, LaVine

November 27th, 2025 at 8:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Star guard James Harden remains confident the struggling Clippers can turn things around after a disappointing 5-13 start to the season, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Los Angeles has a pair of seemingly winnable matchups on tap, facing Memphis (7-12) on Friday and then Dallas (5-14) on Saturday.

“What else are we going to do? Confidence (comes) every day when we wake up, right?” the 12-time All-Star said after the Clippers’ 135-118 loss to the Lakers on Tuesday. “We got a lot of games left where we can hit a stride, but we’ve dealt with literally everything you can do from injuries to different lineup changes. …We’re figuring it out. But tonight was a good step, start for us.”

According to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link), Harden is dealing foot soreness but he is not listed on Friday’s injury report. Veteran wing Bogdan Bogdanovic has been ruled out for a fourth consecutive game due to a left hip contusion, Murray adds.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers anticipate having Deandre Ayton back for Friday’s game vs. Dallas, listing their starting center as probable to play after he missed Tuesday’s contest with a right knee contusion, tweets Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group. Marcus Smart‘s status is more uncertain, as he’s questionable against the Mavericks due to back spasms.
Amid injuries to Jalen Green (right hamstring strain), Grayson Allen (right quad contusion) and Ryan Dunn (right wrist sprain), Collin Gillespie received his first start of the season on Wednesday and played well, recording 21 points and nine assists in 34 minutes during the victory in Sacramento. Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic wonders whether the former Villanova point guard has done enough this season to warrant consideration for a full-time starting role when the Suns are back at full strength. Green, Allen and Dunn will all be sidelined again on Friday at Oklahoma City, Rankin notes (via Twitter).
Heading into Wednesday’s game, the Kings had won two straight contests after an eight-game losing streak. They experienced another setback on Wednesday, according to Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee, with Zach LaVine setting the wrong type of tone early by committing consecutive turnovers on the team’s first two offensive possessions. The Kings trailed by 25 points after the first period and never held a lead in the eventual 12-point loss. “Not good,” said LaVine, who finished with 13 points (on 5-of-14 shooting) and six turnovers. “We’re frustrated we’re not winning. Guys are frustrated they’re not playing right or playing the way to best suit them. We’re all trying our heart out though. That’s what we get paid for.”

Lakers Notes: Doncic, Ayton, Hayes, Timme

November 26th, 2025 at 4:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Luka Doncic put up a monster line of 43 points, 13 assists, and nine rebounds against the Clippers on Tuesday to help the Lakers clinch a spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, but he had an axe to grind in his post-game media session. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes, Doncic isn’t a fan of the special court at Crypto.com Arena for NBA Cup games.

“It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous,” Doncic said. “I slipped. I slipped a lot of times, and you could see a lot of players slipped. And that’s dangerous, man.”

According to Doncic, he didn’t notice any issues with the NBA Cup courts in Memphis or New Orleans during earlier group play games, but he was having traction problems during pre-game warmups on Tuesday and asked a court attendant to do an extra sweep of the floor — it didn’t help.

The Lakers, aware of Doncic’s concerns, are hoping to improve the court before it’s used again on Friday in the team’s final round robin matchup with Dallas, McMenamin writes.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Starting center Deandre Ayton sat out on Tuesday due to a right knee contusion, but the Lakers aren’t anticipating an extended absence for the big man, according to Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (subscription required). Head coach JJ Redick said there’s some swelling to deal with, but imaging on the knee came back clean. “Don’t think it’s going to be a long-term thing,” Redick said. “Hopefully it’s a game-to-game thing, and he’s back at some point by the end of the week.”
Reserve center Jaxson Hayes got his second start of the season with Ayton out and acquitted himself well — he was a team-high +21 in his 30 minutes of action and came to Doncic’s defense during an altercation with Kris Dunn, as Dan Woike of The Athletic details. After being knocked to the floor by Dunn while battling for rebounding position, Doncic got up to confront the Clippers guard, who responded by pushing the basketball into Doncic’s chest (Twitter video link). Hayes shoved Dunn, resulting in a brief altercation between the two teams. Dunn was ejected and Hayes was hit with a technical foul. “I got (Hayes’ fine for the technical),” Doncic said (Twitter link via Price). “I told him right away.”
Fans in Los Angeles didn’t get a long look at new two-way player Drew Timme in his Lakers debut on Tuesday, as he played just 72 seconds of garbage time in the fourth quarter. However, Redick expressed enthusiasm during his pregame media session about what Timme can do when called upon (Twitter video link via Price). “I think he’s tremendously skilled offensively,” Redick said. “… The thing that’s kind of underrated with him is his defensive rebounding is really good, particularly for his size. He’s produced at every level and I’m looking forward to coaching him.”