Garbage Time Strikes Again: Jake LaRavia Out Against Clippers

There are bad beats, and then there is rolling your ankle in the final six minutes of a 22-point blowout. The Los Angeles Lakers officially downgraded forward Jake LaRavia to out for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers thanks to a right ankle sprain.

According to Marc Stein, the downgrade takes LaRavia out of the mix for a highly anticipated early-season matchup. It is a brutal break for a guy who was actually putting together a highly efficient opening night before the basketball gods decided to intervene in garbage time.

"Marc Stein reported the downgrade to out for tonight's game."

Before tweaking the ankle against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, LaRavia dropped 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in just 18 minutes of action. He was doing exactly what you want a role player to do alongside heavy hitters like Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Now, head coach JJ Redick has to shuffle his rotation before the season even gets its shoes tied. The good news for Los Angeles is that Collin Sexton is officially off the injury report and ready to make his debut, which should help cover the offensive gap left by LaRavia.

For anyone eyeing the game lines or player props tonight, LaRavia’s absence shifts the math on the wing. The Clippers are coming off a rough 121-96 loss to the Sacramento Kings and will be desperate to bounce back, meaning the Lakers need all the perimeter defense they can get against Darius Garland.

History is not exactly on LaRavia's side when it comes to lower-body issues. A quick look at his medical chart shows three previous ankle injuries that have cost him time, making this latest setback a frustrating rerun for the 24-year-old.

Redick will likely ask Quentin Grimes and Ziaire Williams to soak up the extra minutes tonight. If the Lakers want to keep their perfect start alive before heading to Utah this weekend, they will need the bench to step up and survive the garbage-time curse.