While stars like Lonnie Walker IV, Austin Reaves, and Anthony Davis were all sidelined due to different injuries, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook were the only two stars who led the Purple and Gold to stay in the playoff hunt. After suffering a heart-wrenching loss against the Boston Celtics on the road, it seems like the 38-year-old needed a game off to recover from his sore ankle.
Game after game, LeBron James has led Darvin Ham’s unit despite having a sore ankle. However, as the Lakers went on lock horns against Kyrie Irving-led Brooklyn Nets on Monday Night, Bron deservingly took the required off as his team would be facing a back-to-back (New York Knicks on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden).
The 38-year-old has been averaging 29.9 points per game and is even ahead in the scoring tally and average for the 2022-23 season when compared to some of the leading MVP candidates.
Why did LeBron James not play against the Nets?
As mentioned earlier as well, on the front end of a back-to-back in the city, King James is being held out with left ankle soreness. Along with him, his partner-in-crime Anthony Davis is being rested with a right foot stress injury after playing in the last two games against San Antonio and in Boston. The eight-time All-Star missed the prior 20 games over 5 ½ weeks with the injury.
That being said, the Purple and Gold need to change the tie in their favor if they were to contest in the postseason this time around. Will it be too late before they get a final push? Remains to be seen.
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