LeBron James to miss Thursday’s Warriors-Lakers game
The Space Jam: A New Legacy star is out with an injury to his left ankle
The Golden State Warriors get a nationally-televised rematch with the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday, after their nationally-televised double-overtime thriller last month. But the cast of the sequel will not include LeBron James.
LeBron James (left ankle) is out vs. Golden State, per the Lakers.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 22, 2024
Here’s the rest of the injury report: pic.twitter.com/cTxbNjVjGu
James has had a recurring condition of “peroneal tendinopathy” in his ankles, which means there’s some breakdown in the tendons in his lower legs. Basically, his left ankle hurts, and it’s generally something that gets better with rest. Which he’ll be getting Thursday when the NBA returns from a week-long break.
The other Lakers on the injury report are no surprise. Gabe Vincent had knee surger yin December, and hopes to return in March. Jarred Vanderbilt injured his foot three weeks ago, and may be out for the season. Christian Wood has a swollen knee which should keep him out two more weeks.
Both Max Christie and Cam Reddish have ankle sprains, while Anthony Davis is “probable,” which is a safe designation for nearly any game the Lakers play, given his injury history.
What does that mean for Thursday’s game, besides that TNT and Adam Silver will be disappointed by the ratings? The Warriors can expect to see a lot of Taurean Prince and Jaxson Hayes, as well as the newest Laker, point guard and cryptocurrency enthusiast Spencer Dinwiddie.
In the previous game, a 145-144 Lakers win, James scored 36 points, Vanderbilt had 14, and Wood poured in a big eight points off the bench. The Lakers won in part by playing last year’s playoff starting lineup, with Vanderbilt joining D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves alongside Davis and James to great effect. Meanwhile, Prince was -21 in his 24 minutes.
It’s a fortunate break for the Warriors, who trail the Lakers by just 1.5 games in the Western Conference standings. It’s bad timing for the Lakers, who face ten potential playoff teams in their next dozen games, including two games against the Warriors and the Sacramento Kings.
For the Warriors, Chris Paul remains out, though he practiced Wednesday with the team. Gary Payton II is questionable with an illness.