The Los Angeles Lakers released status updates on LeBron James and Anthony Davis for their Saturday night road matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.
Lakers say LeBron James (left adductor strain) is probable and Anthony Davis (left calf contusion) is questionable for game tonight at Spurs.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) November 26, 2022
James has missed six of the last eight games due to injury, but is coming off a solid performance in Friday night’s 11-point win over the Spurs. In that contest, he collected 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Davis has only missed one contest this season and is coming off an effort on Friday in which he delivered an outstanding double-double performance. In addition to his 25 points and 15 rebounds, Davis also contributed four assists and three blocks to the Lakers’ cause.
Both players have had injury issues over the previous two seasons, with Davis’ health concerns resulting in major stretches without the superstar in the lineup. In the case of the 37-year-old James, he’s currently battling through his 20th NBA season while still playing at a high level.
The Importance of LeBron James and Anthony Davis to the Lakers
Having James and Davis in the Lakers’ lineup is vital to helping their chances to win. A simple reason for such an assessment is that they are the top two scorers on the team and are combining to average just under 51 points per game.
In the six games that James has missed this season, the Lakers have actually managed to rack up three wins. However, all three victories came at home against a struggling Brooklyn Nets squad and two weak teams in the Detroit Pistons and the Spurs.
The aforementioned absences of James and Davis serve as the chief reasons why the Lakers have slipped so far after being NBA champions in 2020. Following that title, their 2021 bid ended with a quick playoff exit while they failed to even reach the playoffs last season.
With their current record of 6-11, the Lakers need to pick up as many wins as they can to remain in playoff contention. Given the weakness of the Spurs, it may still be possible to pick up a win if Davis is unable to play.
Yet, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham knows that the team can’t sustain any winning if either James or Davis remains unavailable. That’s especially true when looking at the Lakers’ upcoming schedule.
After facing the Spurs, the Lakers return home for home games on Monday and Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers and Portland Trail Blazers, respectively. That’s followed by a six-game Eastern road trip.
