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The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the hottest teams in the league over the last few weeks, going from 20-17 to 38-21 overall and in control of the Western Conference's 2-seed. LeBron James and Luka Doncic have been a great one-two punch, but injury concerns could halt Los Angeles' momentum on Tuesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Although both superstar talents have been available recently, Doncic and James are both dealing with minor injuries that will come and go between now and the end of the regular season in April. Head coach JJ Redick certainly will try to get his stars extra time to rest, especially against teams out of the playoff picture like the Pelicans.
As a result, Luka and LeBron find themselves among the six Lakers players on the injury report ahead of Tuesday night's game.
Lakers full injury report
Seeing James on the injury report is nothing new. Throughout the 2024-25 season, the Lakers usually list LeBron as probable for every game with what has been called left foot injury management.
This has been an issue for James for years now, and it's simply an ailment that flares up at times. While it is expected that the league's all-time scorer will play on Tuesday night to cross the 50,000 career points mark, Doncic is another story.
In the Lakers' 108-102 victory over the LA Clippers on Sunday, Doncic bumped his knee for the third-straight game, causing him to briefly leave the game and go to the locker room. After initially being listed as questionable to play on the Lakers' injury report, Luka has since been upgraded to probable for Tuesday night's game against New Orleans with a right knee contusion.
Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jordan Goodwin, and Max Kleber are the other Lakers on the injury report for the Pelicans game.
Whereas Hachimura, Goodwin, and Kleber are all out, the Lakers originally list Reaves as questionable to play due to a right calf strain he suffered in the team's 106-102 victory over the Clippers on Friday. The 26-year-old shooting guard missed Los Angeles' last game on Sunday, and he will ultimately miss Tuesday's game after being downgraded to out.
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James and Doncic are the main focus of the Lakers' injury report. Whether or not the Lakers give either player the night off will come down to how they feel during shootaround and after receiving treatment Tuesday. While it was always expected that James would play, Doncic's upgraded status appears to signal the same.
Pelicans full injury report
For once, the Pelicans aren't looking at an injury report headlined by Zion Williamson, who has missed 38 games this season. Instead, their injury report features six different players, headlined by Dejounte Murray and Herb Jones being out with season-ending Achilles and shoulder injuries, respectively.
This has been a lost season for New Orleans mostly due to injuries decimating their roster. Before trading Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors, the former All-Star forward missed a massive chunk of time with a severe ankle sprain, an injury he still hasn't fully recovered from.
Along with Murray and Jones being out for the season, the Pelicans could also be without guard Brandon Boston, who is questionable with a left ankle sprain. Keion Brooks Jr., Lester Quinones, and Antonio Reeves are all also out due to being with the Pelicans' G League team.
New Orleans is currently 17-44 this season and owns the fourth-worst record in the league. While this has been one of the most disappointing seasons for the Pelicans, this team has remained competitive as of late, winning five of their last seven games.
If the Lakers sit James and/or Doncic, New Orleans could be in a position to pull off a sneaky upset away from home, especially with Williamson and Trey Murphy III lighting things up on offense.
