Marcus Smart, Jackson Hayes improve LA’s injury report
The Los Angeles Lakers they are coming off a tough, 122-108 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, a game in which they were missing five key rotation players due to injury. The Lakers will embark on a short two-game road trip this week, and after losing to the Blazers, head coach JJ Redick he hoped reinforcements were on the way. Of course, both Marcus Smart and Jackson Hayes were improved on the team’s injury report.
Marcus Smart and Jackson Hayes are officially listed as suspicious on the Lakers’ injury report for Game 1 of their road trip against the Minnesota Timberwolves. A final status update for both players likely won’t come until right before the game. Smart suffered a quad injury during the Lakers’ win against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, while Hayes suffered a knee injury sometime after the season opener.
In the three games Smart played in his Lakers debut, he averaged 7.7 points, 1.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 43.8 percent from the field. Hayes has played in just one game so far, finishing with four points, six rebounds and one assist while shooting 66.7 percent from the field.
Smart’s return gives the Lakers an extra ball handler to relieve Austin Reaves of some of the playmaking responsibilities, while Hayes gives the team a key backup behind Deandre Ayton.
Against the Blazers, The Lakers just didn’t have enough depth to keep up. But despite the short loss, Redick was pleased with some of what he saw.
“I took a lot away. Again, our half-court defense was great, our first-down defense was great,” Redick said. “Mostly… just high, competitive spirit and a close-knit group. You can build on that.”
The Lakers begin their mini road trip with a matchup against the Timberwolves on Wednesday, before wrapping up the road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
2025-10-29 02:11:00
