Los Angeles Lakers rumors: LeBron James doubtful to play vs. Denver Nuggets
Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors involve LeBron James, who is reportedly dealing with multiple injuries and is doubtful to play against the Denver Nuggets.
Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors are not very encouraging. The Lakers have dealt with a number of injuries this season, but they have been able to overcome them thus far. Los Angeles is 24-5, sitting atop the Western Conference, but the most recent Lakers rumors will be difficult to overcome.
Los Angeles is riding their first losing streak of the season, as they lost to the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks to finish their road trip. They will be returning home to the STAPLES Center to snap that losing streak to face the Denver Nuggets.
Facing the Nuggets, who are in the top three of the Western Conference themselves, is difficult enough. They are playing good basketball, having won five straight games coming into the matchup. Potentially doing it without their star player, LeBron James, will make it an even taller task.
According to Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet, the Lakers are likely to be without James against the Nuggets. He is doubtful to play with a thoracic muscle strain.
LeBron James has a thoracic muscle strain and is doubtful to play tomorrow against Denver. We’ll see if Frank Vogel has some details about when it happened, etc., in a moment.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 21, 2019
This is horrible news and timing for the Lakers. They are facing their first adversity of the season, losing two games in a row and the games aren’t getting any easier this week. After facing the Nuggets, they will face the LA Clippers, the other team among the top three in the Western Conference, in a highly anticipated Christmas Day matchup.
James reportedly suffered the injury against the Pacers on Tuesday night. It didn’t slow him down against the Bucks, as he registered yet another triple-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
It is encouraging that James was able to play through the injury and perform to the level that he did against the Bucks. Los Angeles has been managing his workload throughout the season, as he is averaging a career-low 34.8 minutes per game. This could be another part of their load management, as James has played in every game thus far this season.
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However, James is reportedly dealing with other ailments as well. According to ESPN sources, he has been dealing with a nagging groin injury.
Head coach Frank Vogel touched on the injury to James but didn’t reveal much in the way of the team’s game plan.
"“If [James] doesn’t go [Sunday] then we’ll need a group effort,” Vogel said Saturday. “We’ll release starting lineups and all that stuff tomorrow but it’s one of those things that no one person can pick up everything that LeBron does for our team, so just have to be a group effort.”"
While James is doubtful to play, the Lakers could be getting some help in the way of Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma has been recovering from an ankle sprain that he originally attempted to play through. His return will help give the Lakers another scoring punch if James ultimately is forced to sit out.
Hopefully, if James isn’t able to play, it is a short absence and he is able to return to the court as soon as possible.
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With James hobbled, the Lakers will be relying more heavily on Anthony Davis, who has been hobbled himself recently. Injuries are a part of the game, so the Lakers just need to tread water until they can get everyone healthy and back on track.