Is LeBron James Playing Tonight Vs The Rockets? Lakers Superstar Availability Following Heartbreaking Loss To Sixers

LeBron James became just the second player in NBA history to cross 38,000 regular season points tonight in the Lakers game against the Philadelphia 76ers. As each day goes by, he gets closer and closer to surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s mark for the most points in regular season history. 

While this individual accomplishment is nothing short of extraordinary, the same cannot be said with what the Los Angeles Lakers have been doing this 2022-23 season. After what looked like an MVP-esque season from Anthony Davis, he would go down with injury, leaving James and Westbrook man the helm yet again. 

Last night’s game against the Sixers was quite the heartbreaking loss for the purple and gold as they lost 113-112 after a botched possession from Russell Westbrook. In all fairness however, Joel Embiid di grab onto his wrist as he drove in, leading to a shot not being attempted.

Also read: “LeBron James, That Was Your Shot to Take!”: Skip Bayless Finds a Way to Blame ‘The King’ as Russell Westbrook Cost Lakers 113-112 Loss

Will LeBron James play tonight against the Rockets? 

The Rockets have won merely 10 games this season and are clearly in a race to the bottom to snag an opportunity to have higher odds at drafting Victor Wembanyama. So, while the youthful Rockets could be a handful, the Lakers should be favored going into tonight. 

Given that this is the second night of a back-to-back for the Los Angeles Lakers against an inferior team no less, LeBron James just might take the night off due to load management. He was listed as probable for last night’s 76ers-Lakers game due to an ankle injury and ended up playing.

The Lakers say LeBron James (left ankle soreness) has been upgraded to AVAILABLE for tonight’s game against Philadelphia.

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 16, 2023

He dropped 35/8/10 against Joel Embiid and company all while playing 35 minutes so it’s safe to say that he could very well sit out the game and let Russell Westbrook take over tonight.

Also read: Doc Rivers Spews Confusing LeBron James and Michael Jordan ‘GOAT’ Take Prior To Lakers-Sixers