Lakers’ 7-foot center joins Luka, LeBron on injured list prior to faceoff vs. Kings

Things have seemingly gone from bad to worse for the Los Angeles Lakers despite their dominant 128-110 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, led by Luka Dončić's 49-point masterclass.

Injuries have already begun to stack up for a Lakers group missing LeBron James for each of their first two contests with sciatica, as it was reported Sunday that Dončić will be sitting next to James on the pine due to a left finger sprain and lower left leg contusion, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

On top of their generational talents missing time, the Lakers were hit with yet another injury update on Sunday concerning their springy 7-foot center before their game against the Sacramento Kings.

"Lakers center Jaxson Hayes will miss a second straight game with left knee soreness, the team announced," ESPN's Dave McMenamin shared via X/Twitter.

Though he's taken a backseat to Los Angeles' latest starting center and former No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft Deandre Ayton to begin the year, Jaxson Hayes was a serviceable stand-in starting big after Anthony Davis' departure for the Dallas Mavericks via trade in 2024-25.

Now, the Lakers will be missing their impactful high-flying lob threat for a battle against a formidable Kings offense and their 3-time All-Star center and 3-time rebounding champion Domantas Sabonis.

The 25-year-old center Hayes took the floor sparingly for the Lakers in their 119-109 opening-night defeat at the hands of the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. He contributed an efficient four points, six rebounds and one assist in just 14 minutes of burn.

More NBA: Why Luka Doncic isn't playing vs. Kings and when he could return