Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James missed the team's 123-87 defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. The Lakers lost in that game because they lacked a star player. James was out due to left foot injury management, and the team was being cautious after he played almost 40 minutes on Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers have been dealing with challenging injuries over the past three games. Luka Doncic was forced to depart the Thunder game on Thursday due to a hamstring issue. That was followed by the news about Austin Reaves, who was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury.
The 2025–26 NBA season is almost over, and the injuries to the Lakers' best players come at a bad time. The team needs the stars to be healthy as the playoffs will soon start.
LeBron James Will Play Against the Warriors
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After missing one game, James has been removed from the injury report on Wednesday. The Lakers are set to face the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, and having the 41-year-old star is a major update for LA.
Additionally, Marcus Smart has been upgraded to questionable in the injury report. The defensive guard has missed the past eight games due to a right ankle contusion. The Lakers have been missing a defensive enforcer since he went out with the injury.
Both Reaves and Doncic will continue to miss games, as their return to action is still unclear. Jaxson Hayes, who was added to the injury list on Tuesday at the last minute, is also out with left foot soreness.
Without the star backcourt, the Lakers are leaning on James to lead them in the final stretch of games in their schedule. All season long, he played as the team's third option, appearing in 57 games, averaging 20.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists. In the first game without Doncic and Reaves, the four-time champion tried to lead LA past the Mavericks. He finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and 15 assists, but that wasn't enough as rookie forward Cooper Flagg countered with 45 points.
This is the first time that James has played under 65 games since the league implemented the rule in the 2023-24 season. Over the past two seasons, he reached the 70-game mark and was named to the All-NBA teams. This season, however, he is ineligible for any NBA awards.
