The Los Angeles Lakers have ruled out LeBron James for the team's road matchup vs. the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

LeBron continues to deal with the “horrible” left ankle sprain he suffered on March 27 against the New Orleans Pelicans. The 37-year old has also been playing on a sore and swollen left knee since late January, which he has admitted won't be healed until he gets extended rest in the offseason.

LeBron has missed three of the past four games with the ankle issue. The LeBron-less Lakers fell 129-118 to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

The Lakers, who have lost six games in a row and 16 of their last 20, are two games back of the San Antonio Spurs for the final spot in the Play-In tournament. The Spurs own the tiebreaker, rendering the Lakers on the verge of elimination. (The Suns have won six straight games against the Lakers by an average of 18 points — and those matchups included LeBron.)

LeBron is averaging 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 2021-22. He needs to play two more games to qualify for the scoring title — an accomplishment he's striving to become the oldest player in NBA history to achieve.

The 19-year veteran has been publicly defiant about not shutting it down, but the late-season ankle injury may ultimately force him to.

Los Angeles will next face the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center on Thursday, then host the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on Friday. They'll wrap up their disappointing campaign on Sunday in Denver.

The Lakers are 1-9 in the past 10 games LeBron has missed.