On Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers will be in action at Crypto.com Arena against the Cleveland Cavaliers in what would be their first game of two back-to-back contests at the iconic venue. The Lakers have been rooted to the ninth spot in the Western Conference standings for over a month and will finally have the chance to leapfrog over the eighth-placed Sacramento Kings, who currently have the same record as LA following their narrow 1-point loss to the Boston Celtics. However, LA fans face a concern regarding the availability of their centerpiece before their tough contest against Cleveland.
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The Lakers could potentially have to face the Cavaliers without LeBron James, who’s been added to the NBA’s latest injury report with an ankle ailment. The veteran forward’s status for the game against his former team has been listed as ‘questionable’. James’ name has featured regularly on the Lakers’ injury report this season due to his troublesome ankle and he has periodically skipped games to manage the ailment.
However, the Lakers finally have the chance to climb above the ninth spot in the Western Conference standings (which will give them a better chance of getting out of the play-in tournament) and James will be determined to suit up and help his team make it happen. While there’s a slight chance that James will sit out on Saturday, fans will hope that the four-time NBA Champion sees them through in the last few crucial games of the season.
Lakers’ record this season without LeBron James
Despite featuring consistently on the Lakers’ injury list, LeBron James has had a relatively clean bill of health and has missed back-to-back games only once this season. Overall, he has sat out of 10 games. The Lakers have coped decently without their superstar forward, boasting a 6-4 record in his absence.
However, LA would not want James to miss any of their remaining regular season games. The Lakers have only five games left in their schedule and three of those are against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, and the New Orleans Pelicans – teams they could face in the play-in tournament and the playoffs. If results go their way, they could climb as high as sixth in the Western Conference standings, which’ll help them avoid the play-in tournament altogether.
The Lakers have been in terrific form of late. They have lost only two of their last 10 outings and have won three straight. LA will hope to extend their winning run to eight games and potentially climb to at least eighth in the standings and have two shots in the play-in tournament to seal a playoff berth. Even if LeBron decides to rest in one of the two back-to-back games, the tough matchup against the Timberwolves would probably be the wiser option to sit out, after securing the relatively easier Cavs game.
