On Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers endured a thrashing at home against the Phoenix Suns. The game was a blowout by the end of the third quarter, with the visitors leading by as much as 27 points. Both teams benched their starters for the final 12 minutes, as the highly-anticipated clash petered out as a whimper. The Lakers would look to regroup after the humiliating 127-109 loss. However, LA fans would not be excited to know that LeBron James‘ name has been yet again included in the Lakers’ injury report.
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LeBron finished the Suns game with only ten points, his lowest tally since November 2021. Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless labeled this uncharacteristic outing as an attempt to get Lakers head coach Darvin Ham fired. However, the team’s injury report paints a more accurate picture of James’ performance.
LeBron is reportedly still suffering from peroneal tendinopathy in his left ankle. He is ‘questionable’ for the Lakers’ road game against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center on Saturday.
Lakers list LeBron, Reddish, and DLo as questionable for tomorrow l. Rui is not on the report so should be available pic.twitter.com/30y565PnDo
— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) January 13, 2024
James last sat out of the team’s 118-111 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves last month. The four-time NBA MVP has played the Lakers’ last ten games. They are 4-6 in that span. Therefore, there is a good chance that LBJ will suit up for the Utah game despite his ‘questionable’ status. This has been a trend in the past few games. In any case, there’s no doubt that the Lakers are in dire need of their 39-year-old centerpiece as they struggle to maintain .500 record.
However, James’ last two outings have been uncharacteristically poor. He scored 22 points in the Lakers’ narrow win over the Toronto Raptors and only 10 in their blowout loss to the Suns. The injury is seemingly affecting his performance.
The Lakers are currently 19-20 and are losing ground on the teams above them in the Western Conference standings. They cannot afford a loss to the Jazz, who currently have a better record than the Lakers. LeBron James will probably suit up and play against Utah tonight.
LeBron James has not been in the best mood recently
The Lakers’ poor form since winning the In-Season Tournament in December has affected LeBron James’ mood. After the team’s 14-point loss to a Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat team earlier this month, the superstar exited the arena without talking to the media. This marked only the third time in his career that James had refused to talk to journalists after a game.
LeBron James left without speaking to reporters after the loss.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 4, 2024
Last week, James was in no mood to talk to the media after the Lakers’ loss to the Grizzlies. When a journalist asked him about former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio‘s surprise retirement, he said:
“I’m not really in the mood to answer that question, but I respect Ricky. Congratulations on a hell of a career, and if I don’t seem sincere when you see this video, it’s because we got our a– whooped again, and I apologize.“
LeBron James: “We suck right now.” He also framed LAL’s in-season tournament as “only two games,” suggesting that championship should be given the proper weight pic.twitter.com/a1IaENpWyh
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 6, 2024
The Lakers’ 5-11 record since winning the In-Season Tournament has seen them slip to 11th in the Western Conference standings. They risk missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Only a quick turnaround in form will cheer James up. Until then, the atmosphere inside the Lakers’ locker room will remain a bit gloomy.
