The Los Angeles Lakers released their injury report for Sunday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers and LeBron James (right sciatica and left foot joint arthritis) is questionable whilwe Luka Doncic (personal) is available to return and Marcus Smart (left lumbar muscle strain) remains out.
Doncic missed the first two games of this road trip in Toronto and Boston for personal reasons, which was a back-to-back. He later revealed that he flew back to Slovenia for the birth of his second daughter.
The All-NBA guard is putting together an impressive MVP resume as he leads the league in scoring with 35.3 points to go along with 8.9 rebounds and 8.9 assists. In his absence, L.A. secured a thrilling win against the Toronto Raptors, thanks to a Rui Hachimura game winner, but were clearly shorthanded against their rival Boston Celtics in a blowout loss.
James was not available against the Celtics, which is not surprising considering he has been dealing with multiple ailments and hasn’t been ready to play on back-to-back nights just yet. The expectation is that he will eventually be able to build up and play in back-to-backs depending on his health, but considering he is questionable for this one, it might be a more serious injury as opposed to just resting in Boston.
While Austin Reaves has been impressive to begin this season, especially as the sole creator, he needed more scoring help against a physical Celtics defense. Despite Reaves dropping 36 points, Boston shot 24-for-45 from 3-point range, which was too much to overcome, as that is an absurd 53%.
Lastly, Smart has yet to suit up since Nov. 25 and his return remains up in the air. When originally on the injury report it was due to back spasms, but this new classification may indicate additional time missed than anticipated.
The Lakers’ defensive struggles without Smart are well-documented, as there are not many two-way players on this roster besides him. Although his 3-point shooting has been poor at 25.4%, his intensity and energy have been missed.
Ultimately, having James and Doncic back in the lineup would a tremendous boost to build more on-court chemistry next to Reaves. As the Lakers look to salvage this mini three-game road trip with a win before returning home for an NBA Cup quarterfinals against the San Antonio Spurs, having their stars back should definitely help.
Buzz around NBA is 2025-26 season will be LeBron James’ last with Lakers
LeBron James’ start to his 23rd season has been a bit underwhelming on the scoring front, but his playmaking is a tremendous positive. After missing the first 14 games of the year, James is still working his way back into NBA shape.
To this point, there remains no definitive answer on when the 40-year-old will call it a career. But, rumor has it that this may be his last season with the Lakers, whether he decides to play elsewhere or retire.
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