Every game from here through the end of the 2023-24 NBA regular season is an important one for the Los Angeles Lakers. They cannot afford any slip-ups as they attempt to move up in the Western Conference standings.
The team has put a little bit of wiggle room between them and the Golden State Warriors, who are now 2.5 games behind and barely holding onto 10th place. The Lakers are within striking distance of the Sacramento Kings in sixth place, who are only three games ahead.
However, their pursuit of a higher seed will face some difficulties on Tuesday night. Playing against the Milwaukee Bucks is hard enough; doing so without superstar LeBron James in the lineup is another level of difficulty.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: LeBron James & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
That is the task the Lakers will be faced with, as James has been downgraded to out for the star-studded matchup Tuesday night. He is being listed as out because of left ankle soreness, getting downgraded from the original doubtful tag that he received.
This is an issue that James has been dealing with for months, as he has been attempting to manage the injury with period rest periods. He missed some games ahead of the NBA All-Star break and coming out of it he underwent a procedure to try and alleviate some of the pain.
James was on the court for 38 minutes on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers when the Lakers picked up a 150-145 victory. He scored 26 points with 10 assists in the game, but the soreness became too much to bear in the time since.
Tuesday is the start of a six-game road trip for Los Angeles. Milwaukee is one of only two teams, along with the Pacers, who have a winning record, as this trip will give the team a chance to pad their record for the stretch run of the season.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: LeBron James & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
While James will not suit up against the Bucks, the Lakers should have D’Angelo Russell back in the lineup. Russell missed the game against the Pacers with a non-COVID illness but is not on today’s injury report.
Spencer Dinwiddie started in Russell’s place on Sunday and could be in like to start again. When James sat out on March 8th in the first matchup against Milwaukee, it was Dinwiddie who replaced him in the lineup.
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