LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball is expected to miss four to six weeks with a sprained left ankle, the NBA team said Sunday.
Ball was carried off the court by teammates Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson on Saturday night in the third quarter of the Lakers’ overtime loss to the Rockets in Houston.
He had turned his ankle in a collision with Houston’s James Ennis, falling to the court and holding his ankle before rising and trying limp off under his own steam.
The Lakers said in a statement Sunday that an MRI exam revealed a grade three sprain.
It was another injury blow for a team still awaiting superstar LeBron James’s return from a groin injury suffered on Christmas Day.
James, who has been sidelined for 13 games, has been cleared to return to practice next week.
The Lakers also hope to welcome back guard Rajon Rondo soon after he was cleared to resume full-contact workouts. Rondo required surgery on a right finger injury suffered in the Christmas victory over the Golden State Warriors.
