The Los Angeles Lakers were one of eight teams to make it to the knockout stage in the first-ever In-Season Tournament. While the tournament had plenty of critics early on, the NBA has done a great job at making the tournament feel like it truly matters. As a result, fans are eagerly awaiting tip-off of Tuesday's quarterfinal between LA and the Phoenix Suns.
The winner of this game will move on to the semi-final in Las Vegas and will play the New Orleans Pelicans. The losing team will simply get a normal regular-season game added to the schedule against the Sacramento Kings, who lost to the Pelicans on Monday night.
It is going to be very entertaining to see two premier title contenders square off in a winner-takes-all game with a playoff environment. This could be a preview of a playoff matchup in May, but this time around, there are several key players that might be missing who are on the injury report.
Is LeBron James playing tonight vs Suns?
LeBron James is one of the several players listed on the Lakers injury report and he is considered questionable with a calf contusion. While that sounds concerning, Lakers fans do not need to stress about his status for this game.
LeBron has been listed as questionable on the injury report ever since he missed one game with a sore calf. Him being on the injury report has been the status quo and he has played every single game this season that he was on the injury report.
With $500,000 on the line if the Lakers win the tournament (plus a trip to Las Vegas if they make the semi-final), LeBron is undoubtedly going to play in this game barring any last-minute unfortunate setbacks.
Full Lakers injury report vs Suns:
Anthony Davis also finds himself on the injury report but his situation is identical to LeBron's. He is listed as probable with a hip/groin injury that he missed time with earlier in the season. He too has been listed on every injury report since missing time and has played every single game.
After making his season debut on Saturday, Jarred Vanderbilt (heel) is listed as probable for Tuesday night. As long as there are no setbacks, Vando should play. Rui Hachimura (nose) has missed several games but is reportedly expected to get some minutes against the Suns, so fans should see him on the court.
Gabe Vincent (knee) remains out of action. His timeline to return is unclear as Darvin Ham provided a murky update over the weekend. He has played just four games this season.
Full Suns injury report vs Lakers:
Bradley Beal (back) is ruled out and there is no timeline for his return. Beal has played in just three games for the Suns after the team made the splashy trade for him over the offseason.
Eric Gordon is considered questionable while Damion Lee remains out of action due to knee surgery he had in October. It looks like he will miss the entire 2023-24 season. Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal are both a go on Tuesday.