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LeBron James Injury Update: Will Lakers Star Play Tonight vs Thunder After Missing Previous Game Due to Ankle Injury?

Published 12/23/2023, 9:10 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

The Los Angeles Lakers will face The Oklahoma City Thunder tonight in the hopes of snapping their losing streak of four games. The Lakers are recently coming off a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves (118-111) while the Thunders look confident after a home win against the Clippers(134-115). The Lakers faltered in their last match-up against the Thunders in a 133-110 point loss. It’s a must-win game for LeBron James and co tonight before they go for a Christmas game against their biggest rivals, the Boston Celtics

LeBron didn’t play on Thursday against the Wolves due to an ankle injury. Although his name is on the injury list, given how important it is to win tonight, LeBron will probably not miss tonight. 

LeBron James is listed as questionable 

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At the time of writing, LeBron is ‘questionable’ with the reasons cited as Injury/Illness – Left Ankle; Peroneal Tendinopathy, in the official report. Peroneal tendinopathy is the inflammation of tendons running along the outer ankle bone and the side of the foot. The good news is surgery is not immediately required and it can be treated with rest and physical therapy. After missing out on a game, LeBron will probably jump back to the regular season throttle tonight. 

USA Today via Reuters

In fact, the entire Lakers squad could be seen at full strength tonight. Anthony Davis is hot and has delivered at least 30 points in four of his last five games. In his previous match against the Thunders, he scored a team-high, 31 points. A spirit that he will keep alive tonight.

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Part of the problem for the Lakers downhill is the unreliability of guard D’Angelo Russell. Coming off the In-season win, he was averaging 17.6 points per game. His shooting has dropped down to just 17.6 points per game in December. He has to suit up tonight with full force. The sixth man off the bench, Autin Reaves, is posting 15.3 PPG, and he has scored at least 20 points in his last four games. 

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Thunder is on a roll 

Going against the Thunders led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might be a daunting task for the Lakers. The Thunders are at number 2 in the Western Conference for a reason. Thunders are coming off with three straight victories. The 25-year-old point guard is playing at his finest. On average, he is putting up 30.7 points. Chet Holmgren has tallied three double-doubles just this month and is competing with Victor Wembanyama for the Rookie of the Year race. 

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So, who do you think will win this match-up? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by:

Chetan Kumar

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Chetan is an NBA content writer at Essentially Sports. Being an active basketball player since his school days, he has always been a dedicated follower of the NBA. His passion for the game has drove him to pursue a career in sports journalism.
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Edited by:

Ruth John