By Justin GrassoShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberJust as the Los Angeles Lakers were getting the team fully healthy, they lost their starting center, Deandre Ayton, to a knee injury.
During the Lakers’ November 23 matchup against the Utah Jazz, Ayton checked out after seeing the court for 13 minutes. The team ruled him out for the remainder of the game. When he went out, he had just two points, three rebounds, and one steal.
Moving forward, Ayton’s status was in question. He ended up missing the Lakers’ November 25 clash against the Los Angeles Clippers. The team upgraded him on the injury report against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.
...Will Deandre Ayton Make His Return vs. Dallas?
The Lakers will get a key reinforcement as Ayton has been cleared to play on Friday night.
Following his last outing, Lakers head coach JJ Redick didn’t speculate on the severity of his setback. Once Ayton’s MRI came back clean, the team was hopeful he could be back the end of the week. It turns out that will be the case.
The Lakers are hosting a struggling Dallas Mavericks team for NBA Cup action. Friday’s matchup will only matter for LA’s regular-season record. With a win over the Clippers on Wednesday, the Lakers have already punched their ticket to the knockout round in the tournament. The Mavericks were officially eliminated after that Lakers victory.
Ayton and the Lakers are searching for their sixth-straight win on Friday. With a victory, they could advance to 14-4 on the year, getting a few games within the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have won all but one of their first 19 games of the season.
Since joining the Lakers in the offseason, Ayton has appeared in 15 games. Seeing the court for 29 minutes per game, Ayton has produced 15.5 points per game, making nearly 70 percent of his shots from the field.
The veteran center has come down with 8.4 rebounds per game, and is averaging nearly one block.
The Lakers and the Mavericks are set for a 10 PM ET tip on Friday.
For all the latest NBA news and rumors, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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