Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James reportedly will miss Monday night’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs.
LeBron James will not play tonight against the Spurs, sources tell ESPN.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 8, 2022
James put up a huge performance on Saturday in the Lakers’ win over the Golden State Warriors, scoring 56 points. However, he reportedly is dealing with “significant soreness” in his knee.
Frank Vogel says that James has some “significant” soreness in his knee coming off Saturday’s win over the Warriors. Vogel added LAL is “hopeful” James will play vs. HOU https://t.co/7FGLBZqjrk
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 8, 2022
This is a major blow for the Lakers, as the team is already down forward Anthony Davis due to a foot injury. Los Angeles needs every win it can get at this point in the season, as it currently is in the No. 9 spot in the Western Conference.
With James out of the lineup, the Lakers will likely rely on Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk and Talen Horton-Tucker as the team’s primary scorers against the Spurs.
James has dealt with a few ailments this season, but he has been on top of his game when healthy. The four-time champion is averaging 29.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game in the 2021-22 season while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from beyond the arc.
James has played in 46 of the Lakers’ 63 games to this point in the season.
The Lakers’ next game is against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. It is unclear if James will be healthy enough to play in that matchup.
The Spurs and Lakers are set to tip off at 5:30 p.m. PST on Monday night.
