Early in the third quarter against the Houston Rockets, Lonzo Ball collided with James Ennis III and was carried off the court by Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley.
Up to that point, Ball was controlling the game with 8 points (4-of-7 shooting), 3 rebounds and 11 assists as the Lakers led by double-digits.
With the X-ray machine not working at the Toyota Center, Ball was taken to a local hospital and ruled out for the remainder of the game with a sprained left ankle.
Despite the frustrating 138-134 loss to the Rockets, the Lakers received some good news about Ball as they head back home to Los Angeles after a two-game road trip, according to Mike Trudell:
X-Rays were negative on Lonzo Ball’s ankle.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 20, 2019
With Ball scheduled for an MRI according to head coach Luke Walton, the hope is he does not miss too many games. The 21-year-old suffered the same injury earlier in the season, but did not miss any games and credited his improved strength during the offseason.
While LeBron James and Rajon Rondo have been cleared to return to practice, they are not expected to play against the Golden State Warriors. If Ball misses his first game of the season, Lance Stephenson will likely earn more minutes after stepping up against the Rockets.
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