Jaxson Hayes sprains ankle in practice, leaving the Lakers thin at center behind Anthony Davis
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes sprained his left ankle during practice, and he won’t play when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
The Lakers said the injury occurred Tuesday. Hayes will be reevaluated within two weeks.
The 7-foot Hayes is averaging 6.3 points and a career-high 4.6 rebounds per game as the top backup for Anthony Davis. The only other healthy player over 6-foot-9 on the Lakers’ roster is 7-foot newcomer Christian Koloko, who has played in only two games.
Hayes scored a season-high 12 points in the Lakers’ 123-103 victory over Toronto on Sunday night after Davis was poked in the eye by Jakob Poeltl midway through the third quarter and couldn’t continue. Hayes played a season-high 35 minutes last week in Memphis when Davis sat out to rest his sore heel.
Davis intends to play Wednesday despite his latest eye injury, but the Lakers will be without Hayes and big man Christian Wood, who had a setback in his recovery from knee surgery and still hasn’t played this season.
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