LeBron James and the LA Lakers resume their six-game road trip on Saturday with a stop in New York. They are out to make it back-to-back wins and try to improve on their 25-25 record, which has them in ninth place in the Western Conference.
Following their conquest of the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament title back in early December, the LA Lakers have struggled immensely, going 11-16 in their next 27 games, leaving them outside of the top eight in the race out West.
But despite their struggles, LeBron James, 39, remains on top of his game and at the forefront of their attack, with help from fellow All-Star Anthony Davis.
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The LA Lakers did their cause a favor in their last game by hacking out a gutsy 114-105 victory over their rivals Celtics in Boston on Thursday, despite missing the services of James (left ankle soreness) and Davis (Achilles tendinopathy and left hip spasms).
Their resolve, however, will once again be tested in their game against a streaking team in the Knicks, who are winners of their last nine games and own the third-best record of 32-17 in the Eastern Conference. And they have to do it possibly still without James and Davis.
LeBron James injury update
LeBron James is listed as day-to-day on the injury report over ESPN for the ankle issues that kept him out of their game against Boston. The LA Lakers have been very careful about their superstar forward as far as his health goes, especially at this stage of his illustrious career. But James, when fit enough to play, always takes the floor, and the same could be said for their game against the Knicks.
In their 50 games so far, ‘The King’ has seen action and started in 44 of them. He has been steady for numbers of 24.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 34.7 minutes.
What happened to LeBron James?
Ankle issues have bothered LeBron James for much of this season and has seen him in and out of the roster because of it. Still, he has led the team admirably, producing stellar performances here and there to belie his standing as the oldest player in the league right now.
But the cold truth, however, is if the LA Lakers are to turn things around and make a deeper run in the playoffs, they need James at his healthiest.
It is something that is not lost to Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, which is why he said they are going to continue to be proactive as far as James’ health is concerned, even if it means him missing games along the way, to keep him fresh and ready for the bigger battles down the stretch.
How to watch the Lakers vs Knicks game?
The LA Lakers and New York Knicks will battle it out at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday, Feb. 3. It is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
The Lakers will try to avoid being swept by the Knicks in their season series after losing in their first encounter in Los Angeles on Dec. 18.
In said game, LeBron James had a triple-double of 25 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, but it was not enough to stave off the charge of the Knicks, led by its two All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.
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