Deandre Ayton’s injury news brings a sigh of relief
On Saturday night, The Los Angeles Lakers continued their winning streak with a comfortable home victory over the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers knew it would be without Luka Dončić in this one due to a hamstring strain, but they got a worrisome update when the big man Deandre Ayton was scratched just before the game due to his own injury.
Fortunately, however, it does not appear to be Aiton’s illness anything too strict.
“JJ Redick says Ayton will be day-to-day going forward. He doesn’t sound too concerned about his knee soreness being treated,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported on X, formerly Twitter.
Ayton has seen his game dip a bit over the past few weeks, but he’s mostly played solid basketball in his first season in Los Angeles, giving Doncic a reliable partner at the basket while also helping clean up the glass on the other end of the floor.
The Lakers didn’t make any drastic moves at the NBA trade deadline, but they did trade former Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Luke Kennard, giving up Gabe Vincent and a future draft pick.
Kennard played well in his Lakers debut on Saturday, scoring 10 points off the bench and knocking down a 3-pointer just seconds after entering the game. Three-point shooting has been Kennard’s niche in the NBA throughout his career, and no one has been better in that department this year, as he shot nearly 50 percent from beyond the arc entering Saturday’s game.
While Kennard won’t do much to fix the Lakers’ big question marks on the defensive end of the floor, he does give Doncic and LeBron James another spacer who can torch opponents trying to overload their defense on Los Angeles’ stars.
Either way, the Lakers will next take the court on Monday night at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
2026-02-08 16:45:00
