After finishing the regular season at the 8th spot in the Western Conference standings, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in game to clinch the #7 seed. Consequently, the Purple & Gold will now be facing the Denver Nuggets in the first round, just as they did in the Western Conference Finals last year. Unfortunately for them though, things haven’t been looking too rosy.
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Apart from the fact that the Lakers suffered a 0-4 series loss the last time that the two teams played, LA fans will also not be pleased to learn that LeBron James has been added to the injury report ahead of Game 1.
The franchise has been injury-riddled all regular season long, something that has seemingly followed them right into the postseason. As per the NBA’s official injury report, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Cam Reddish, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Christian Wood have all been listed as ‘out’. Fortunately, however, LeBron James and Anthony Davis do not share the same fate as them, and have been listed as “probable”.
Due to left ankle peroneal tendinopathy, LeBron James has been a frequent addition to the dreadful list for the past few months. However, barring a few contests, James has suited up for most occasions.
So, James’ addition to the report does seem to be nothing more than a cautionary measure, and likely will not hold him back from featuring in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets.
To add more credence to this possibility, LeBron James even claimed that he was feeling much better – physically and emotionally – as compared to the Lakers’ series against the Nuggets in 2023. The following is what he said, per Spectrum SportsNet.
“I’m in a much better rhythm.. physically, emotionally, all that. Coming into the series this year compared to the Western Conference Finals last year I was extremely banged up… but I feel better than I did last year.”
Even though the Nuggets have the upper hand in this matchup, the news of LBJ feeling much better has to be motivating for supporters of the franchise.
LeBron James and co. went 0-3 against the Nuggets in the regular season series
After dangling around the 10th seed for the majority of the season, clinching the 7th seed in the playoffs is extremely impressive. However, the Lakers will worry a bit as they are set to face the defending champs, a team they have not been great against off late, in the first round.
Apart from their 0-4 series loss in the 2023 Western Conference Finals, the LA side also failed to win even one out of their three battles against the Denver Nuggets during this past regular season (per Statmuse). What makes it even more concerning is that the All-Star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis were healthy in all three of these meetings. Despite being injury-free for the most part during these contests, the Lakers lost the contests with an average points difference of 10 points per game (per Statmuse).
However, LeBron James’ playoff record should come in handy, especially with the cards stacked against Los Angeles at the moment. Over the past 21 years, the 6ft 9” forward has advanced to the second round 16 out of the 17 appearances in the playoffs. That kind of experience pays dividends when it matters most.
Additionally, King James has shown the ability to catch fire at the right time, even at the age of 39. During the final stretch of the regular season, the four-time MVP shifted gears and elevated his game. Since 18th March, the King suited up for 12 contests. In these games, the future Hall-Of-Famer recorded 26.6 points, 9.5 assists, and 7.8 rebounds, per ESPN, leading the team to 10 wins.
Yes, the Nuggets will have a higher probability of winning the contest. However, the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers are capable of orchestrating an upset.
