After leaving Sunday night's contest early with ankle soreness, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James will miss the tail-end of a back-to-back against the Nuggets on Monday,  per Shams Charania:

This is slightly concerning for LeBron and a Lakers team who have been struggling to win basketball games lately. They head into Monday's contest on a three-game losing skid and have compiled a 3-7 record in their last 10.

James already missed 20 games due to an ankle sprain and considering in just his second appearance back he felt soreness, it's not a good sign. The King's status for Thursday's marquee matchup with the Clippers is also unclear.

Article Continues Below
More Los Angeles Lakers News
LeBron James, Stephen (Steph) Curry, who may be heading to an ESPN NBA broadcasting booth after they retire, after Lakers-Warriors game on December 25, 2024.
ESPN has ‘hopeful’ LeBron James, Stephen Curry wishAndrew Korpan ·
Chris Paul rescinded NBA trade Lakers Hornets
NBA news: Chris Paul shuts down Hornets-Lakers trade conspiracyJulian Ojeda ·
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) during the fourth quarter.
Luka Doncic’s offseason body transformation has Lakers fans hypedJedd Pagaduan ·
Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal stands next to Kobe Bryant with GOAT signs in background
Shaquille O’Neal has no regrets over treatment of Kobe BryantRandall Barnes ·
image thumbnail
NBA rumors: Lakers’ Austin Reaves trade strategy as 2 center targets emergeErik Slater ·
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) controls the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.
Lakers’ LeBron James dumps fuel on Brian Windhorst feud with calloutMalik Brown ·

This comes just days after James said he may never get back to 100 percent for the rest of his career. As we know, the Lakers star has never dealt with many injury problems, and now, he's fighting to get healthy.

In 27 minutes against the Raptors, LeBron had 19 points. He's looked pretty good since returning to the hardwood, but the Lakers as a whole look very lost.

With the playoffs quickly approaching and their seeding in the West very much up in the air, the Play-In Tournament could become a serious reality. Most importantly though, James needs to get healthy and find a rhythm alongside AD again as the Lakers eye another title run.