Lakers Injury Report: Will LeBron James Return to the Line-Up Tonight vs the Bulls After Sitting Out Against the Clippers?

Published 01/25/2024, 9:30 AM EST

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a debacle. It hasn’t been all fun since winning the IST championship. They have fallen below .500 and look like a play-in squad at best. They have plummeted even further after they suffered a bruise to their ego. The Purple and Gold against their city rivals, the Clippers.

They checked into the battle short of a King. They felt the absence of LeBron James fully in the 116-127 loss. The 39-year-old has been suffering from a left ankle injury that kept him out. After a day’s rest to regroup from their Clippers’ loss, the Lake Show is now set to face the Chicago Bulls.

The six-time champions have found it tough to decode their star core and find synergy. However, for the Lakers, a lot depends on LeBron James’ availability.

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Will LeBron James play against the Bulls?

Aging hasn’t prevented James from participating actively. He has played 40 games this season at 39. His averages, while dipped, are still great. He is maintaining 24.8 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists averages per game. James is still in fine condition, competing with the younger generation on equal terms. The numbers and his impact tell the story of his importance to the Lakers.

When he missed the last game, the Lakers lacked an interior threat, a passing wizard, and a sizeable defender. Without him, the Clippers dominated while closing the game and kept the Purple and Gold ashore. Against Kawhi, Paul George, and Harden, even D’Angelo Russell, being aggressive wasn’t going to cut it. They need James just to compete at a high level.

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Luckily, his status has been elevated, but it isn’t certain that he will play. As per the injury report, James is listed as questionable to play against Chicago. What’s worse is Anthony Davis, who was probable for the last game, has been demoted to questionable citing an Achilles injury.

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If the two of them do play, the Lakers will most likely start the game with D’Angelo Russell, Taurean Prince, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. If the star duo doesn’t suit up, Rui Hachimura and Jared Vanderbilt will replace them.

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Written by:

Anuj Talwalkar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Having composed close to 2000 articles, he aspires to manage his own team one day and is pursuing a top-tier college-level management program specializing in sports. Anuj's love for basketball blossomed after he started following the NBA a few years ago, and he decided to merge his writing skills with his understanding of this thrilling game.

Edited by:

Ruth John

Lakers Injury Report: Will LeBron James Return to the Line-Up Tonight vs the Bulls After Sitting Out Against the Clippers?

Will LeBron James play against the Bulls?

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