The Los Angeles Lakers listed LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) as questionable and Cam Reddish (right ankle sprain) and Anthony Davis (bilateral Achilles tendinopathy) as probable for Friday night’s game against the Bucks from Milwaukee.
Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, Colin Castleton and Jarred Vanderbilt all remain out due to their respective injuries with no set timetable for a return.
James received treatment on his injured ankle during the All-Star break and was forced to miss the team’s first game against the Golden State Warriors. Since then, he has been on the injured list and even though he was able to play every game, it is clear that LeBron’s ankle is not 100%.
This was evident in Wednesday night’s loss to the Sacramento Kings, as although James led the Lakers with 31 points, five rebounds and 13 assists in 36 minutes, he was forced to leave the game early.
With a few minutes left and the game almost out of reach, James pulled out of the game and returned to the locker room to examine his ankle.
After the game, LeBron said his ankle was fine although he acknowledged that it’s something he’s had to deal with in both good days and bad.
“Everything will be fine,” James said. “That was what I was facing before the break, after the break. I’m handling it as best I can. I played the whole third, sat down for a bit to start the fourth. When I got home, it was a bit nonsense. Something I need to take care of.
With a big game coming up on Friday against the Bucks, James will surely do everything he can to make his team’s roster, even if it will likely be a game-time decision before the tipoff. on guard. If LeBron can’t go, it would undoubtedly be a big loss for the Lakers in an extremely important game at home.
LeBron James ready to ‘pick my spot’ in tough defensive matchups for Lakers
With defenders like Jarred Vanderbilt and Cam Reddish dealing with injuries, LeBron James has at times been tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best player. Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard are recent examples, and James has said he ready to “pick my spots” with tough defensive matchups.
Although James can’t guard opposing stars for 48 minutes, it’s great that he’s willing to take on that challenge at times to help the Lakers throughout the season.
