Report: LeBron James ‘unlikely’ to play Friday vs. the Timberwolves

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James did not play in the team’s bout against the Portland Trail Blazers back on Dec. 8 due to foot soreness, and the expectation is that he will miss at least one more contest for the storied franchise.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin, James is “unlikely” to suit up when the Lakers take on Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on Dec. 13.

“Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is unlikely to play Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources told ESPN,” Charania and McMenamin wrote.

“It would give James, who missed Sunday’s game with foot soreness, eight days in between games if he returns Sunday against Memphis.”

Luckily for the Lakers, they didn’t need James on the court to pick up a win over Portland. The Lakers beat the Trail Blazers by a final score of 107-98, and Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell both stepped their games up in the 39-year-old’s absence.

They combined for 51 points, and Russell — who has had a down year all in all — likely had his best performance of the current campaign to this point. He scored 28 points and knocked down five 3-pointers but also dished out a whopping 14 assists.

Los Angeles’ win over the Trail Blazers snapped a three-game losing streak for the Lakers. The team suffered losses to the Timberwolves, Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks earlier in the month during its streak.

Considering the Lakers own a 3-7 record over their last 10 contests, they are seemingly desperate to string together another winning streak. But Los Angeles should expect to face a stiffer challenge than it did against Portland when it takes on the Timberwolves.

Like Los Angeles, Minnesota is hovering around the .500 mark on the season at 12-11, but the Timberwolves might be better than their record indicates.

They’re not far removed from playing in the Western Conference Finals after all, and Edwards is still one of the NBA’s elite scorers. So far in his fifth season in the league and with Minnesota, he’s averaging 26.4 points per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the floor and 42.7 percent from 3-point range.

Unless someone from the Lakers’ supporting cast steps up and has a big scoring night like Russell did against Portland, Los Angeles could come up short of another victory, especially since Friday’s contest will be a road game for the team.