Lakers Injury Report: Is LeBron James Playing Tonight vs Kings?

The Los Angeles Lakers have been in relatively good form, having won four out of their seven games since the All-Star Break. However, despite winning three of their last four, the Lakers are stuck at the 9^th position in the Western Conference standings. With hopes for the Purple & Gold to rise in the standings, LeBron James needs to be available for tonight’s clash against the Sacramento Kings.

For yet another campaign, the Los Angeles Lakers have been riddled with injuries. Ahead of tonight’s clash against their division rivals the Sacramento Kings, Darvin Ham, and co. have added seven players to the injury report. Colin Castleton, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Christian Wood will be the four players who are expected to miss the clash, while Anthony Davis and Cam Reddish have been deemed as “probable”. Amidst this, LeBron James has also been featured on the dreadful list, with ‘the King’ being labeled as “questionable”.

LeBron James has been dealing with peroneal tendinopathy in his left ankle for more than a month. However, he’s managed to play through the injury, missing only one of seven games after the All-Star break. Following the Dallas Mavericks’ latest loss on Tuesday night, the Lakers have a real shot at inching closer to the #8 spot. With this being the case, fans can expect Bron to take the floor against the Kings tonight.

LeBron James has been sensational in his 21^st season

For the past few seasons, LeBron James has managed to put up a hard fight against Father Time. However, in this 2023-24 campaign, James has taken his performance to a whole other level. After having played 56 and 55 games in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons respectively, James has already played 55 games with 19 games still to go in the season.

At age 39, James has put up some historic numbers. Playing 35 minutes per game, James is averaging 25.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 7.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. LBJ’s sensational campaign was even rewarded with a 20^th All-Star nod, and there is also a possibility that the league will name him as part of one of the three All-NBA Teams.

With LeBron James on the playing roster, the Purple & Gold are a significantly better team (30-25) than with him sidelined (4-4). If the 6ft 9″ forward does suit up tonight, the LA side will be the favorites to grab the win with the Crypto.com Arena crowd in full support, considering the King’s lackluster form off late. That said, considering how inconsistent the Lakers have been this season, fans can’t rest easy just yet.