The Los Angeles Lakers are back at home after a lengthy road trip to play the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
L.A. lost its last game to the lottery-destined Mavericks in Dallas. It was the team’s first game after the unfortunate injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who are both ruled out for the remainder of the regular season with no official return timeline beyond that.
Both Doncic and Reaves incurred injuries in the game against the Thunder last Thursday. It was a series of gut-punches for the Lakers, from the 43-point blowout to losing their two top scoring options.
That leaves LeBron James, whose season was delayed to begin with due to an offseason sciatica injury, to carry the load and insert himself as the engine of the Lakers offense.
GettyOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – APRIL 02: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Last time out, James notched a 30-point, 15-assist, nine-rebound outing, becoming the oldest player ever with such a statline. It was somewhat of a bittersweet event for L.A. fans knowing James is still capable of monster performances but perhaps only put up those numbers because Doncic and Reaves weren’t in the lineup.
Los Angeles has a lot of work to do to close out the regular season strong.
Why LeBron James is Ruled Out for Tonight’s Game
Yesterday, the Lakers rolled out their official injury report for Tuesday’s tilt. Understandably, perhaps no one wanted to look at it.
In addition to Doncic and Reaves, guard Marcus Smart remains out with an ankle injury. It is still unclear when the team is targeting a comeback for the 32-year-old former Defensive Player of the Year.
That’s three players out. Hold it. Add a fourth.
It was announced today that James, 41, will miss Tuesday’s game against the Thunder. Even after returning from a sciatica injury, James has missed games throughout the season but mainly to avoid playing back-to-backs.
It was interesting to see James ruled out tonight considering the Lakers last played two days ago and have a late tipoff tonight.
Earlier today, Dave McMenamin, who covers the Lakers for ESPN, explained why James will be held out of his 22nd game of the season.
“With the extra workload that he had against Dallas the other day, when they didn’t have Luka and Austin for the first time, and the fact that this is the first game of a stretch where the Lakers have three games in four nights, with Golden State and Phoenix coming up, I would be surprised if he’s in the lineup,” McMenamin reported earlier today.
Los Angeles Destined For 29th Loss, Teetering as Season Finishes
On the other side, the Thunder are mostly healthy, minus star swingman Jalen Williams, who will miss tonight’s action due to rest.
Oklahoma City is well within reach of clinching the top seed in the NBA and will aim to quickly take care of business in tonight’s late night affair.
That means another loss is likely on the horizon for the Lakers, who have already dropped their last two games after winning 16 out of the 18 previous. Those times seem very distant now.
Without Doncic, Reaves, James and Smart, L.A. will at least get the opportunity to see what some of its auxiliary players can do when asked to fill larger roles. James will likely be back next game, but Doncic and Reaves will be in street clothes indefinitely. So which one of the team’s role players will deliver the most help alongside James to close out the season?
After tonight, the Lakers have just three games left to play, with two on their home court.
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