In a massive setback, the Lakers might miss their ace striker, LeBron James, for tonight’s matchup against Miami Heat.
Los Angeles Lakers will face the Miami heat for the final time this season on Wednesday. The fixture will take place at the Lakers’ home Crypto.com Arena. LA Lakers (16-21) ranks 13th on the Western Conference table, whereas Miami Heat (20-18) stands 7th on the Eastern Conference points table. Lately, Miami Heat outperformed LA Lakers in their last matchup on Thursday, 29th December 2022, wherein the Lakers could not even breach the 100-point mark.
On top of that, the recent lineup news has sent shockwaves among Lakers fans. According to multiple media reports, Lakers skipper LeBron James might be unavailable for tonight’s game. Along with him, a couple of other key players are questionable for the match-up as well.
LeBron James To Miss Tonight’s Game Against Heat?
LeBron James single-handedly uplifted the struggling LA Lakers back on the winning side. Owing to James’s back-to-back 40+ point games, the Lakers managed to win 3 of the last four games. After this, the 38-year-old is averaging 45 points. However, luck does not seem to favor the Lakers forward. Ahead of tonight’s game against the Heat, LeBron James has been listed as “questionable to play” in the starting lineup. The striker is reportedly suffering from a sore ankle. It is reported that James had a niggle a few games back, which is worsening now and causing problems for the striker. Meanwhile, his presence is vital for the Lakers to elevate their odds of a win.
And to make the matter worse, Russell Westbrook and Lonnie Walker IV are listed as questionable as well. Both the players are suffering from sore feet. This means that the Lakers might have to take the court tonight without their big 4’s, with Anthony Davis ruled out indefinitely. Davis’s foot injury worsened as the season progressed, and he is taking ample rest to avoid going for surgery.
Past Is Back Again To Haunt The Lakers
After a horrifying last season, LA Lakers were expected to do better. However, that certainly did not happen, as the LeBron James-led Lakers struggled badly at the start of the season. Out of the 37 games played so far, LA Lakers won just 16 of them and lost 21. Furthermore, their second-highest scorer of the season, Anthony Davis, ruled himself out to recover from a recurring foot injury.
On the other hand, the Lakers’ four-time MVP and leading scorer this season, LeBron James, is scoring exceptionally well. But somehow, he is failing to carry the team across the finish line. Moreover, the 38-year-old is averaging 45 points after two back-to-back 40+ points games. On the other hand, the LA Lakers are finally getting back on their feet, but injury concern is pulling them back down again. As of now, the Lakers stand way too low at the western conference table. They need to win as many games as possible even to stand a chance for playoff qualification. However, with such injury concerns, that goal looks far-fetched.