National Basketball Association

Lakers' D'Angelo Russell out with sore left knee vs Spurs

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:06 p.m. ET

foxsports

LOS ANGELES (AP) Point guard D'Angelo Russell is sitting out for the Los Angeles Lakers against San Antonio with a sore left knee.

Lakers coach Luke Walton made the announcement before the game Friday night.

Russell leads the Lakers' balanced lineup with 16.8 points and 4.7 assists per game. The second-year pro started the first 12 games of the season for Los Angeles during its surprising 7-5 start.

Russell felt soreness in his knee during the Lakers' practice on Thursday, and they elected to hold him out to be cautious. Walton is optimistic the injury won't be a long-term problem.

The Lakers begin a stretch of 18 games in 30 days Friday. They don't have consecutive days off for another month.