Deandre Ayton is out against the Clippers with a knee contusion
The Los Angeles Lakers will put their undefeated record in the NBA Cup on the line when they face the LA Clippers on Tuesday. The Lakers have a 2-0 record in cup games so far and the Clippers are also 2-0. But the Lakers will be a little short Deandre Ayton appeared on the team’s pregame injury report.
Deandre Ayton was officially off for the Lakers game against the Clippers as he deals with a knee injury. Ayton first suffered the knee injury during the Lakers’ 108-106 win against the Utah Jazz on Sunday. The injury occurred during the first quarter, i Ayton ended up sitting out the rest of the game after halftime.
Ayton signed with the Lakers in the offseason after agreeing to a contract buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers. He has been the team’s main center so far, answering in 15 games with just over 29 minutes per game. He averaged 15.5 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 69.6 percent from the field and 56.5 percent from the free throw line.
With Ayton out of the lineup, that likely means Jackson Hayes will be the starting center against the Clippers, with Maxi Kleber taking over as the backup. He replaced Kleber in the second half against the Jazz after Ayton was sent off. Kleber was solid in his first extended minutes of the seasonfinished with two points and three rebounds in 14 minutes and also came up with the defensive stop that secured the win.
2025-11-25 01:42:00
