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Lakers News: Lonzo Ball will not play during road trip

By Kenneth Teape

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 11: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball against the San Antonio Spurs on January 11, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 11: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball against the San Antonio Spurs on January 11, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Recent Los Angeles Lakers news revolves around point guard Lonzo Ball, who will be out at least the next two games.

Recent Los Angeles Lakers news isn’t overly positive. An update has been provided on the status of rookie point guard Lonzo Ball.

Ball has missed the previous eight games because of a left knee sprain. Injuries have derailed Ball recently, as he has appeared in only five of the Lakers previous19 games. That number is set to increase.

Ball has been ruled out for the remainder of the road trip. That means he will be missing Friday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets and Sunday afternoon’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Bill Oram of the Southern California News Group shared the update on his Twitter account.

While it is disappointing to hear Ball will miss at least two more games, it is not much a surprise. Given the time restraints on a road trip, the Lakers do not have much time to practice. As a result, Ball is limited in his opportunities to test out his knee.

With Sunday’s game being a matinee at 2 pm ET/11 am PT, there is no practice time to see how Ball’s knee will react. As a result, the Lakers are going to play it safe and keep Ball sidelined.

Head coach Luke Walton offered an update on Ball at practice in preparation for the Nets. He said that Ball could return next week depending on the progress that he shows and his ability to get through a practice.

The Lakers have improved their performance with Ball sidelined during his recent absence. The first time that he missed games with a shoulder ailment at the end of December through the beginning of January, the Lakers were miserable.

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They lost all six games that Ball missed that time around. That losing streak without Ball reached eight games before the Lakers went on a four-game winning streak without their starting point guard.

However, they have fallen on tough times once again. They are now on a two-game losing streak, losing to the Toronto Raptors and then in embarrassing fashion to the Orlando Magic.

While the Lakers showed promise in those four games without Ball, the same problems still persist when he is off the court.

While not regarded as a strong defender, the Lakers team defense is much improved when Ball is on the court. Their offense also runs at a much better pace with Ball leading the show.

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Hopefully, he is back in the lineup sooner than later. Given the current state of some of the other Western Conference teams ahead of the Lakers in the standings, they have an outside chance to sneak into the playoffs. Getting Ball healthy will be imperative to landing the improbable playoff spot.

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