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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Quentin Grimes practiced with the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday after missing two games with a sprained right pinkie on his shooting hand, ESPN reported.
Grimes jammed the finger in the Lakers’ 121-116 win at Detroit on Nov. 8, finishing with 12 points in 32 minutes. He sat out Monday’s win at Atlanta and Wednesday’s 123-112 win at Milwaukee.
After practice, Grimes was asked how the finger has responded over the past week.
“The swelling has gone down a lot,” Grimes said. “It’s kind of feeling basically back to normal.”
The Los Angeles Clippers drafted Grimes 25th overall in 2021. He has also played for the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks, and Philadelphia 76ers.
In 2024-25, he averaged 14.6 points and shot 38.5% from 3-point range across 75 games with Dallas and Philadelphia. After a February 2025 trade to Philadelphia, he averaged 21.9 points in 28 games.
Last season with the 76ers, Grimes averaged 13.4 points in 75 games and shot 33.4% from 3-point range, according to Basketball-Reference.
This season, Grimes is averaging 8.0 points and shooting 24.2% from 3-point range. He was then asked about his status for Sunday’s game against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center.
“I definitely expect to play, for sure,” Grimes said.
Austin Reaves Day-To-Day With Left Heel Bruise
Austin Reaves is day-to-day with a left heel bruise, and Collin Sexton is also day-to-day, according to ESPN. Luka Dončić, a five-time All-NBA First Team selection, is fine after tweaking his right ankle in Wednesday’s win at Milwaukee.
Reaves also missed time last season with a left calf strain, which kept him out of the mid-December win in Phoenix.
Los Angeles is 11-2, the best record in the NBA. The Lakers rank 18th in defensive rating at 113.6.
Lakers coach JJ Redick and his staff put together a 21-page audit of the team’s start, Bleacher Report reported, citing Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Redick, in his third season as coach, addressed the defensive numbers after Friday’s practice.
“We know we want to be a top-10 defense,” Redick said. “We know we are not going to be able to do that unless we become better than a bottom-10 transition team and better than a bottom 10-defensive rebounding team.”
Lakers Face Dillon Brooks And Suns On Sunday
Phoenix acquired Dillon Brooks in the July 2025 trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets. Brooks had played two seasons in Houston, and Durant had been in Phoenix since a February 2023 trade. The Suns are 5-6.
The Lakers met Durant and the Rockets in the first round of last season’s playoffs.
Last season, Phoenix won 125-108 in Los Angeles on Dec. 1, and the Lakers won 116-114 in Phoenix in mid-December. Devin Booker now wears No. 15 in honor of his father, Melvin, and the Suns re-signed guards Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin in the offseason.
Lakers forward Ziaire Williams, a former teammate of Brooks, talked about him ahead of Sunday’s game, McMenamin reported.
“Dillon, he is one of my favorite teammates ever,” Williams said. “As crazy as he is, he’s the complete opposite off the court. … Great player, great competitor. … No friends on the court though.”
Sunday’s game tips off at 3 p.m. CT, which is 2 p.m. local time in Phoenix.
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