LeBron James (right hip contusion and left foot arthritis) is being listed as questionable for the Los Angeles Lakers’ contest on Tuesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
James has sat out the Lakers’ last two games, victories over the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks.
Prior to that, LeBron had sat out just once in the last 27 games as he has begun rounding into form for the Lakers during this final stretch of the season. So far this season the Lakers are 9-2 in games in which James is out, but both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have played.
The Lakers are in a battle for playoff positioning in the Western Conference and getting James, Doncic and Reaves all clicking together is imperative for this team’s potential playoff success.
Tuesday’s game against the Timberwolves is a huge one as Minnesota is currently third in the West, just one game ahead of the Lakers, who are fifth. The Lakers have already beaten the Timberwolves twice this season, but they both came in the first week of the season so this game will give a much better view of where these two teams stand against each other as potential playoff opponents.
Of course, these two teams met in the first round of the playoffs last season and the Timberwolves took out the Lakers in five games so there is some history here.
Having LeBron on the court would be nice against a Timberwolves team known for their size and physicality. With Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reid up front, not to mention defensive ace Jaden McDaniels and, of course, Anthony Edwards leading the charge, the Lakers will be in for a battle.
The key will be whether they can continue to keep up their defensive effort that they have shown lately, especially in Sunday’s victory over the Knicks. The Lakers kept one of the best offenses in the league under 100 points and never let up even as their offense struggled through stretches.
If LeBron is able to suit up, the Lakers must ensure their energy level doesn’t dip, especially on defense and if they can do that, they have a chance for another big win that will move them up the standings.
JJ Redick pleased with where Lakers are at after win over Knicks
Lakers head coach JJ Redick was happy with the effort of his team in their win over the Knicks Sunday and he spoke about the positives he saw in the victory, and with how the Lakers have been playing overall as of late.
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