LeBron James, who scored a team-high 25 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 124-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, will miss Thursday night's matchup on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team announced on Thursday afternoon.

This is the second night of a back-to-back for the Lakers and with LeBron dealing with an ankle injury, the Lakers are looking to get their superstar some extra rest before their big game on Christmas Day against the Boston Celtics. James has officially been ruled out against Minnesota due to left ankle peroneal tendinopathy.

The good news for the Lakers is that this does not appear to be anything serious or new for LeBron, as he has been battling through soreness and bruises all season long. James recently missed a game last week against the San Antonio Spurs, which was part of a two-game stretch the Lakers split on the road against the Spurs.

Even at 38 years old and in Year 21, James is still the Lakers' best player. What's surprising is that in the two games he has missed so far this season, the Lakers are 2-0. Then again, they have defeated the Portland Trail Blazers and Spurs in these two games, which are teams that reside at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

With James out of the lineup on Thursday night in Minnesota, a lot of pressure will fall on the shoulders of D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves to step up offensively. Anthony Davis, who is battling an ankle sprain and bone bruise, is currently listed as questionable, leaving his status up in the air. Should Davis be ruled out, Los Angeles will have a very tough time trying to pull out a win against the Timberwolves, who own the West's best record at 20-6 this season.

Both teams played on Wednesday night and are playing for the second consecutive night. LeBron James and the Lakers find themselves on a three-game losing streak for the second time this season, as the Timberwolves are coming off a road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Minnesota has not lost back-to-back games all season long, which is bad news for the Lakers.