Lakers’ Deandre Ayton leaves game against Nuggets with knee injury

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Joki¿, left, fights for control of a rebound with Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton in the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March...

DENVER — Lakers starting center Deandre Ayton had an early exit from Thursday’s road game against the Nuggets because of a knee injury.

Ayton played his initial four-minute stint to start Thursday’s game before backup big man Jaxson Hayes subbed in for him at the 7:30 mark of the first. 

Nikola Jokic attempting a shot against Deandre Ayton. AP

The 7-foot Ayton used one of the team’s stationary bikes after being subbed out before going back to the locker room during the first half.

The Lakers ruled Ayton out during the third quarter, with coach JJ Redick saying postgame that Ayton was dealing with left knee soreness. Ayton missed two games before the All-Star break because of right knee soreness.

Ayton was scoreless in the four minutes he played after missing his lone shot, finishing with two rebounds and had an individual plus/minus of minus-13.

“He’s down,” Marcus Smart said of Ayton, who sits next to Smart in the locker room. “It sucked for him not to be out there in the game. He tried to go and it just didn’t feel right for him and it sucks. We definitely could have used him.

“I know as of lately he’s been getting a lot of backlash for his effort and his play. He understands it. I know it might not seem like it, but he does and he wants to do good and he wants to help this team and I think that’s what more frustrating for him, because he’s trying. But the way he’s trying is not working and he’s still trying to figure it out. But he definitely was down. He just actually left talking to me, saying how he wished he could have been out there and how sorry he was. But he can’t control that he couldn’t go. Hopefully, next game, he’s ready to go and we can use him.”

With Ayton sidelined, Hayes started the second half, finishing with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and five rebounds in 28 minutes.

Backup big man Maxi Kleber wasn’t available for Thursday’s game because of back soreness.

Hayes played 16 of 24 minutes in the second half.

“He was terrific,” Redick said of Hayes. “Not having Maxi actually really hurt us. Particularly with DA out. But Jaxson, I definitely have confidence in him.”

The Lakers will host the Pacers on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.

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