Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James will play in his team's game against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night, according to Lakers beat reporter Mike Trudell.

James returned from a groin injury that kept him out for over a month in the Lakers' win over the Los Angeles Clippers last Thursday, playing 40 minutes and finishing with 24 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists while going 9-of-22 from the floor.

However, James then sat out of the loss to the Golden State Warriors two nights later due to load management.

The 34-year-old originally injured his groin during the Lakers' blowout win over the Warriors on Christmas. At the time of James' injury, Los Angeles was 20-14 and was challenging for a top-four seed in the Western Conference.

Since that point, the Lakers have gone just 7-12 to fall out of the top eight completely. Now, Los Angeles sits one loss behind the Clippers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West and will also have to jump the ninth-place Sacramento Kings.

While that should not be much of a problem for the Lakers, all of the tumult currently surrounding the team may have an effect on their play going forward. Whether it's Luke Walton being on the hot seat or players being in limbo while being mentioned in trade discussions for New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis, there is a lot going on in Tinseltown at the moment.

The Lakers are currently in the middle of a six-game road trip that also features games against the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.