The Los Angeles Lakers have listed LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) and Anthony Davis (left knee hyperextension) as questionable, Jaxson Hayes (left calf contusion) as probable and Gabe Vincent (left knee injury recovery) and Cam Reddish (personal reasons) as out for Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors.
Christian Wood, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Jarred Vanderbilt all remain out with their respective injuries with no set timetable for a return, although Vanderbilt seems to be close.
It will be interesting to see how the Lakers approach this game considering they have a back-to-back to close out their road trip, taking on the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Both the Raptors and Wizards have struggled in recent weeks and all season, so the Lakers could be strategic in who they play which game in order to keep guys fresh.
Given how important all of these games are though, it also wouldn’t be surprising to see both James and Davis suiting up for both games if they are healthy enough to do so.
Vincent’s status, in particular, will be worth monitoring considering he just returned from knee surgery on Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets. Vincent said he felt good physically in his return although will leave it up to the team’s medical staff to decide which games he will play in. The Lakers also have another back-to-back coming up later in the week at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers have been extremely shorthanded in the frontcourt recently behind Davis with Jaxson Hayes being the latest to go down. He was a late scratch against Brooklyn due to the calf contusion and now his status against Toronto is up in the air.
On the Raptors side of things, it looks like they will be getting some reinforcements as Immanuel Quickley and R.J. Barrett are both listed as probable after missing the last handful of games.
Lakers’ LeBron James credits health for improved 3-point shooting
LeBron James has shot the ball extremely well from distance for the Lakers this season, most recently going 9-for-10 against the Nets. When asked how he has been able to improve his 3-point shooting, James credited it to being able to be on the floor on non-game days due to his health.
“I’ve been able to be on the floor a lot more during non-game days. My foot has felt a lot better, I didn’t have much time to really rep a lot last year because I had to make sure that I could be on the floor running around or putting much pounding on the floor for my foot. I’ve had a lot of opportunity to get on the floor (this year). You guys see me before every game out on the floor working on my game, working on my craft. So that has helped out a lot too. Just try to stay consistent with my shot. Same shot every time and just work. Work, work, work, work, work.”
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