The Los Angeles Lakers are facing the New York Knicks without LeBron James as he's dealing with several injuries. The latest one he suffered was in their latest matchup against the Denver Nuggets, where he hurt his elbow, but it doesn't seem as if that's the injury that's particularly holding him back, according to ESPN's Malik Andrews.
“An hour before tip he was ruled out for the game. I am told this is more the foot than the elbow which is something that's going to be day-to-day,” Andrews said.
🚨Malika Andrews says that LeBron’s status tonight was determined more by his foot injury than his elbow pic.twitter.com/odJ2Tv3hmi
— ReavesMuse (@MuseReaves) March 8, 2026
James was able to warm up earlier in the day before the game, but he must not have been good enough to play in the game. At the same time, the Lakers want to be cautious with James, which is something they've tried to do over the course of the season.
It's uncertain how many more games James could miss or if he returns in their next game. The Lakers could afford to be without James for a few games with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves playing good basketball through this stretch, but having somebody like James on the court makes everything a little bit easier.
With around 20 or so games left in the regular season and the Lakers still fighting for seeding in the Western Conference, staying healthy will be key. The fact that James was able to do some work leading up to the game shows that he shouldn't be out for long, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he were back sometime next week.
As of now, the Lakers will have to depend on Doncic to lead them to wins, which is something that he doesn't have a problem doing. If other key players such as Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton, and Marcus Smart can step up, the Lakers should be in good shape as James continues to recover.
