Los Angeles Lakers centre Deandre Ayton was ruled out for the rest of Thursday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets due to knee soreness.
Ayton left the matchup early after playing just five minutes. He finished with two rebounds and no points before heading to the locker room.
The injury comes as the Lakers struggled to keep pace with Denver. Los Angeles trailed by double digits during the game including a 10-point deficit at halftime.
Denver’s star duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray led the charge and caused problems for the Lakers on both ends of the floor.
Ayton’s exit created additional pressure on the Lakers’ front court. Maxi Kleber was already unavailable because of back soreness, leaving Los Angeles short on depth.
Ayton has recently dealt with knee soreness and previously missed several games due to the issue.
The Lakers now face the challenge of finishing the game without their starting centre while trying to slow down Denver’s offence .
The Nuggets continued to push their advantage as Los Angeles looked for other players to step up in the absence of Ayton.
