Lakers’ LeBron James and Deandre Ayton will be unavailable for the matchup against the Pacers.
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers will be missing LeBron James along with two of their big men, Deandre Ayton and Maxi Kleber, on Friday when they face the Indiana Pacers, as announced by the team.
James did not complete L.A.’s 120-113 defeat to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday after suffering a left elbow contusion late in the fourth quarter due to contact with Nikola Jokic, resulting in him falling to the floor. Additionally, he is listed on the injury report with left foot arthritis.
Ayton is sidelined due to soreness in his left knee. He participated in the first four and a half minutes of Thursday’s game before leaving because of his knee and did not return.
Kleber will be absent for his third consecutive game due to a lumbar back strain, as confirmed by the team.
In the absence of Kleber and Ayton for most of Thursday’s game, Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes excelled, scoring 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting and grabbing five rebounds against the Nuggets.
Indiana (15-47) holds the worst record in the Eastern Conference and has entered Friday’s matchup on a seven-game losing streak.
