The Los Angeles Lakers released their injury report for Sunday afternoon’s game against the New York Knicks and LeBron James (left elbow contusion, left foot arthritis) and Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain) are listed as questionable while Deandre Ayton (left knee soreness) is available.
This is a tough test for the Lakers, so the hope is that they will have all of their key pieces back in the lineup for Sunday’s game.
James and Ayton both suffered injuries in Thursday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets. While they both sat out on Friday against the Indiana Pacers, head coach JJ Redick did not sound concerned that either would be out for long. That appears to be the case for Ayton, although James’ status remains up in the air.
The same can be said for Kleber, who has missed the last two games with a back injury. He underwent an MRI that revealed nothing serious so similar to James and Ayton, he was considered day-to-day.
It’s no secret that the Lakers have struggled against the upper echelon teams in the league this season, so they would love to be close to full strength for this matchup with the Knicks. The Lakers have a tough schedule coming up, so getting a win on Sunday could set the tone for what is to come from this team to finish out the regular season.
Getting Ayton back will give the Lakers some much-needed size, and hopefully James and Kleber are able to return as well.
LeBron James reflects on becoming NBA all-time field goal leader
The last time LeBron James took the court, he broke the NBA record for most made field goals. The Lakers star has broken a number of records in his 23-year career, but James still appreciates being named with other greats.
“At the end of the day, just my name being linked to some of the greatest that have ever played this game has always been humbling and it’s a pretty cool thing. I grew up watching, reading, idolizing a lot of the greats. If I was ever able to be a [art of the NBA, I wanted to put myself in position where I could be named with some of the greats by doing something right. So that’s pretty cool.”
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