Time is running out for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-23 season as they’ve got less than 30 games to turn things around and get back into the playoff race.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis QUESTIONABLE for Lakers vs. Blazers
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THE LAKERS
The Lakers are currently the 13th seed in the Western Conference and are two games behind the last Play-In Tournament spot. Their slow start to the 2022–23 season set them back a lot, so now they have to win every game to keep their playoff hopes alive.
At the trade deadline, Los Angeles added to its team, but LeBron James’s health is the most important thing.
James couldn’t play in their win against the Golden State Warriors because of a problem with his foot. He had x-rays done before and they showed normal wear and tear.
Even though it doesn’t sound too bad, James will probably miss Monday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
James hasn’t played since Tuesday, when he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. This is because he hurt his left foot and hasn’t been able to play since.
After tests didn’t find a serious injury, the team hopes that James will be able to play in Wednesday’s home game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 109-103 on the road on Saturday. After the game, head coach Darvin Ham said that LeBron James needs to rest his hurt foot.
James is having a great season, but the team’s record doesn’t show it. He is averaging 30.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game. The Lakers have a terrible record of 26-31, which puts them in 13th place out of 15 teams in the Western Conference.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic says that Anthony Davis’s foot injury makes it likely that he will play against the Trail Blazers on Monday.
Davis is still listed as “probable” by the Lakers, but he has played in six straight games and eight of the last nine, so the foot problem that kept him out for more than a month in December and January seems to be mostly gone.
Davis has mostly looked good since he came back, but in Saturday’s win over the Warriors, he shot poorly and only scored 13 points on 5-of-19 shots.
He has had 23.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.3 blocks in his last six games.
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THE BLAZERS
Jerami Grant is going through concussion protocol, so the Portland Trail Blazers are not sure if he will play tomorrow against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Grant got hurt in the first quarter of Friday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he came back and played the rest of the game. The team said the next day that he had gone through concussion protocol.
Both Trendon Watford and Keon Johnson have right ankle sprains, but the Blazers say that they are likely to play. Gary Payton II was part of a four-team trade, and one of the players was Kevin Knox II. The trade is still being processed, and Knox II is listed as questionable.
Ibou Badji, Justise Winslow, and Jusuf Nurkic are still out.
