The Los Angeles Lakers will be without LeBron James (left knee soreness) against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. Frank Vogel made the announcement in his pre-game media session about 90 minutes before tip-off.

According to Vogel, LeBron woke up with unexpected soreness in his knee — enough to hold him out against a physical Sixers squad. He will be “literally day-to-day” and won't need to undergo further testing, Vogel said.

Los Angeles will travel to face the Charlotte Hornets on Friday and the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.

The Lakers listed LeBron as questionable earlier in the afternoon. James briefly came out onto the Wells Fargo Center court to get a few shots up.

It's the latest untimely injury turn for the Lakers, who are coming off a feel-good night at the Barclays Center. Not only did they handle the Brooklyn Nets to get back to .500 and improve to 2-1 on the road trip, but Anthony Davis returned from a 17-game absence due to a left knee injury of his own (MCL sprain).

LeBron punctuated the win with back-to-back breakaway jams in the fourth quarter. Certainly, his knee looked fine there.

The Nets win marked just the 16th game LeBron, AD, and Russell Westbrook have played together. The 17th will have to wait.

Here were LeBron's thoughts on the matter:

LeBron's minutes have been a topic of conversation around the Lakers. He's averaging nearly 37 minutes per game in his 19th season — fourth-most in basketball and his most since 2017-18.

James hasn't missed a game due to injury since Nov. 17. In the time since, the 37-year old has averaged 29.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists.