EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Phoenix Suns due to a left calf contusion, the team announced Monday.
Doncic, who exited Saturday's 103-88 loss to the LA Clippers early with the injury, was wearing a heavy wrap on his left leg after practice Monday. He is considered day-to-day.
Doncic was kneed in his left calf by Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic and did not play after halftime. Coach JJ Redick said the issue has been a recurring one for 6-foot-8 Doncic.
"It's happened a bunch this season," Redick said, adding that the team is looking into ways to protect Doncic' legs in future collisions.
After Tuesday's game, the Lakers will return home to host the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day.
Austin Reaves, who has missed the Lakers' past three games with a mild left calf strain, was a limited participant in practice and is also day-to-day moving forward, Redick said. As is Rui Hachimura, who missed the Clippers game because of a right groin strain.
Reaves was listed as questionable for Tuesday's game while Hachimura was ruled out.
The Lakers did get some positive injury news Monday, with center Deandre Ayton returning to practice after a two-game absence because of soreness in his left elbow. He was not on the injury report for Tuesday's game.
Ayton explained how he hurt the elbow the last time the Lakers played the Suns: battling for a rebound against Phoenix center Mark Williams.
"It's a physical game," Ayton said. "I don't know, the adrenaline was pretty high and [I was] trying to rebound and [got] tangled up boxing out and I think I just hyperextended it a little bit. That's about it. A little tightness, we checked it out."
