The Los Angeles Lakers will enter Friday night’s matchup with the Clippers without forward Jake LaRavia after he was ruled out with a right ankle sprain.
The 24-year-old suffered the injury late in Wednesday’s 127-105 season-opening win over the Golden State Warriors, forcing coach JJ Redick to adjust his rotation just two games into the year.
With 5:34 remaining in the fourth quarter and the outcome already decided, LaRavia drove toward the basket and appeared to roll his right ankle.
He stayed on the floor briefly before receiving help from the training staff, then walked to the locker room under his own power and did not return.
Before leaving, he had been one of the brighter spots in the Lakers’ supporting cast, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including two three-pointers, along with two rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes.
The efficient outing fit the role the Lakers envisioned for him when they signed him to provide complementary shooting, size, and versatility around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.
Redick sounded cautiously optimistic after the game, telling reporters he felt “probably more positive than when it first happened,” though he noted that LaRavia would still need further evaluation.
That evaluation ultimately led to Friday’s designation of out, with no firm timetable yet announced for his return. The absence arrives at an early moment when LaRavia had begun to settle into Redick’s rotation after a solid preseason.
The Lakers already face other absences. Adou Thiero continues to deal with swelling in his left knee, and rookie Cameron Carr remains sidelined by a right oblique strain.
Those two are not expected to contribute significantly in the near term, but losing LaRavia removes another forward who can space the floor and switch defensively.
Redick will likely redistribute minutes among reserves such as Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, and Sandro Mamukelashvili while looking for combinations that preserve spacing and defensive flexibility.
There is offsetting news in the backcourt. Collin Sexton has been cleared to make his Lakers debut after recovering from a right calf injury that kept him out of the entire preseason and Wednesday’s opener.
While the veteran guard cannot replace LaRavia’s length on the wing, his ability to create offense off the bench gives Redick another scoring option as the team tries to build on its strong start.
In that opener, Dončić posted 28 points and seven assists, Reaves added 23 points, and Walker Kessler went a perfect 12-for-12 from the field for 26 points.
The Clippers arrive after a 121-96 win over the Sacramento Kings, setting up an early Western Conference rivalry game in which both sides will look to establish momentum.
For the Lakers, sustaining that momentum will depend in part on how effectively the remaining rotation absorbs LaRavia’s absence until the young forward is ready to resume his early-season progress.
