Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James is now listed as questionable for Saturday's road matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, Dave McMenamin of ESPN reports.
The Lakers say LeBron James has a groin contusion and is questionable for Saturday at Portland. Anthony Davis (right knee soreness) is probable. Both will make the trip to Portland.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 27, 2019
James, 34, is nursing a groin contusion and nearly missed the Christmas Day showdown with the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday but was activated by the Lakers. The 6-foot-9 forward traveled with L.A. to Portland, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported, but now the Lakers are saying James may not be available against the Blazers.
The Lakers, on a four-game losing streak, were without LeBron against the Denver Nuggets last Sunday. James showed up against the Clippers, chipping in a near-trip-double in the home loss against the L.A. rival. A deflection by Clippers guard Patrick Beverley last touched LeBron, effectively ending the narrow defeat for the Lakers.
McMenamin also reports Davis, dealing with right knee soreness, is probable for Saturday's tilt with Damian Lillard and the Blazers.
Portland is coming off a close road loss to the Utah Jazz where CJ McCollum scored 17 fourth-quarter points and Lillard finished with 34. Saturday's matchup is a winnable game for the Lakers, who are trying to break their first losing streak of the season. At 24-7, Los Angeles is still the best team in the Western Conference; however, injuries to James and Davis (who missed last week's bout with the Indiana Pacers) have temporarily halted progress for Frank Vogel's squad.
The question of “load management” has come up recently in order to better preserve the 34-year-old James with many deep playoff trips and Finals appearance under his belt. It's unclear whether the Lakers will try to limit games featuring James should they require a 100 percent healthy version of LeBron for the postseason.
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