Lakers' Lonzo Ball to miss at least 2 more games with MCL sprain

NEW YORK -- Lonzo Ball will miss at least two more games due to a sprained left MCL as the Los Angeles Lakers ruled their point guard out for the remainder of their current road trip.

Ball will not play Friday in Brooklyn and will miss Sunday's game at Oklahoma City when the Lakers conclude their five-game road trip. The rookie point guard has already missed eight straight games since injuring his knee against Dallas on Jan. 13.

The Lakers last weekend said Ball's injury impacts his lateral movement, and that the typical timetable for recovery was one to three weeks. This Saturday will mark three weeks since the injury.

Coach Luke Walton has maintained that the Lakers will not rush the No. 2 overall pick to return, and he wants Ball to practice first to see how his knee responds.

"Today was our last real practice," Walton said at Barclays Center. "Saturday will be a [scheduled light] shootaround [practice]. He will not play before he practices, so he is out until at least we get home."

The Lakers are 4-4 without Ball during this current stretch and are 4-10 overall without him playing due to injury this season. The Lakers will be back in Los Angeles next week and play at home against Phoenix and Oklahoma City on Tuesday and Thursday.

The Lakers could potentially practice Monday and/or Wednesday before each of those games. Ball has mostly done shooting, received treatment and done some lateral movement with trainers so far.