History awaits on Tuesday night as LeBron James puts the all-time NBA scoring record in his sights when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Latest news on LeBron James and Anthony Davis for Lakers – Thunder
The Lakers are currently in the cellar of the Western Conference, sitting 13th despite being only 1 1/2 games back from the final playoff spot. They need to win their remaining three and a half games to make the playoffs and avoid a play-in game.
On Tuesday night, when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron James will try to break the NBA scoring record.
James has played in the NBA for 20 seasons and has scored 38,352 points, leaving him 36 points short of the record set by former Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who also played for the Lakers for 20 seasons.
Even though James has averaged 30 points per game this season, including 27 points per game over his last three games, there is still a chance that he will fall short of the mark on Tuesday. However, persistent effort throughout the years suggests that now is the right time.
The Lakers’ rocky season, in which James and fellow star Anthony Davis have missed time due to injuries, has hampered James’ individual success. The Lakers are just 3-3 since Davis returned from a foot injury.
The most recent loss came in a puzzling 131-126 road loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. Although James scored 27 points, his team still lost.
“How many games do we have left?” James said before answering his own question. “Twenty-eight games left, (and) we’re still doing the same stuff over and over.”
Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports that Anthony Davis’s status for Tuesday’s game against the Thunder is in doubt due to a stress injury in his right foot.
Despite the fact that the Lakers’ star has been mentioned in the injury report several times in the last week, he is expected to play on Tuesday.
He’s played exceptionally well in the last three games since being reinstated to the starting lineup. He has put up impressive numbers in those contests, averaging 30.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game.
As the Pelicans fell to the Warriors 131-126 on Saturday, Davis logged 38 minutes of action and finished with 34 points (13-25 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 6-7 FT), 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal.
Since returning from a 20-game absence due to a foot sprain, Davis has been playing exceptionally well, and it does not appear that the lingering foot soreness that has landed him on the injury report before the last three contests is affecting him. Davis has been playing superbly while everyone is fixated on LeBron James.
Injury Reports Lakers
- LeBron James (Ankle) – Questionable
- Anthony Davis (Foot) – Questionable
- Scotty Pippen Jr. (Concussion) – Questionable
- Austin Reaves (Hamstring) – Questionable
Since matching their season high with a four-game winning streak from January 12-18, the Thunder have gone 3-5. They face the Golden State Warriors again on Tuesday after suffering a 141-114 loss to them on the road the previous night.
Now, with only one day to prepare, the Cavaliers must figure out how to fix their defensive woes while also preparing to join the media circus surrounding LeBron James’ attempt to break the NBA scoring record in a game that has been moved to national television.
Injury Reports Thunder
- Luguentz Dort (Hamstring) – Out
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Ankle) – Out
- Aleksej Pokusevski (Lower Leg) – Out
- Chet Holmgren (Foot) – Out
