The Los Angeles Lakers are coming into their matchup against the New York Knicks on Sunday having won four of their last five games. They’re in the midst of a home stand that will carry them through the upcoming week. And it’s possible they have reinforcements on the way. LeBron James was upgraded on the Lakers’ injury report after missed the team’s win against the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
LeBron James was officially listed as questionable on the Lakers’ injury report for the team’s game against the Knicks. While he has been dealing with a foot issue throughout the season, James took a hard fall against the Nuggets last Thursday, and he suffered what the team reported as a left elbow contusion.
In addition to James, backup center Maxi Kleber was also upgraded to questionable. Kleber missed the Pacers game as well due to a back strain. Starting center Deandre Ayton, who also was sidelined for the Pacers win due to a knee injury, no longer appeared on the injury report.
While the Lakers have managed to grab a couple of wins in recent games, they’ve had their struggle against teams with winning records. The Knicks present such a challenge as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Having James potentially back in the lineup is a major boost.
He is in the midst of an unprecedented 23rd season in the NBA, and was selected to his 22nd consecutive All-Star appearance. He recently surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most made field goals in NBA history. The one thing that will elude James this season, however, is his streak of making an All-NBA team. He will fall short of the NBA’s new minimum of 65 games played to be eligible for postseason honors.
James has appeared in 44 games, at a little over 33 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 21.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 50.4 percent shooting from the field, 31.3 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 74.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
