LeBron James made history during the NBA All-Star weekend with his 20th selection, but now that the Indianapolis event is over, attention shifts back to the regular season. The Lakers will resume their pursuit for a playoff spot on Thursday against another playoff aspirant, the Golden State Warriors.
While both teams will not need to go on full throttle, the Lakers have suffered a significant setback in the form of LeBron James. The Lakers have to find a way without their talisman but what actually happened to the 4-time NBA Champion?
LeBron James’ injury update
LeBron James is currently facing a tough time. After a loss in the NBA All-Star game, he is now dealing with an injury. Just when the NBA community was looking forward to another showdown between James and Curry, the bad news surfaced. The Lakers announced that their star forward will miss the match on Feb. 22 against the Golden State Warriors, who attempted to acquire James in the last trade window but were unsuccessful.
LeBron has been excluded from the roster for the game against the Warriors due to peroneal tendinopathy on his left ankle. In his 20th appearance in the 2024 NBA All-Star game, the 4-time NBA Champion failed to deliver on-court and managed only 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in the highest-scoring All-Star game due to the injury.
Report: LeBron James Out for Lakers-Warriors With Ankle Injury https://t.co/zvw33yK6Oq
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 22, 2024
The 39-year-old forward has played 49 games so far this season and has averaged 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists. While his return date is not certain, the Lakers would hope to get their main man back in action as soon as possible. Facing the Lakers without their star player will give the Warriors an upper hand to beat the most title-winning team.
Lakers injury report
LeBron James is not the only one who is on the injury list but there are Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Christian Wood too. The Lakers forward Vanderbilt has been out due to a right midfoot sprain after the game against the Boston Celtics.
Christian Wood, who is out due to left knee effusion, will be re-evaluated and hence will not be seen against the Warriors. The point guard Vincent had arthroscopic surgery in late December and is still out for recovery.
Max Christi and Cam Reddish were previously sidelined due to a right ankle sprain, but now they are questionable options for the Warriors game. Meanwhile, the veteran Anthony Davis, who had bilateral Achilles tendinopathy, could potentially play on Feb. 22 as his status has been upgraded from questionable to probable.
As of now Warriors are right below the Lakers in the 10th position of the Western Conference table and have the same number of losses. Both teams will be looking to resume with the playoff picture in mind.
