LeBron James will miss the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against Indiana on Saturday to rest his sore left ankle.
The Lakers announced this decision about four hours before they played the Pacers.
James, 40 years old, has been performing well in recent weeks for the Lakers (30-19), who have won four games in a row and 10 of their last 12, even after trading center Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic last weekend. Despite dealing with regular ankle pain, James hadn’t missed a game since Dec. 28 against Sacramento and has missed only four games this season.
Doncic is also missing the game against Indiana as he continues to recover from a left calf strain he suffered on Christmas. The Slovenian star has practiced with his new team this week and is expected to make his Lakers debut on Monday against Utah.
“LeBron, just a little bit of increased soreness on that foot after the other night,” coach JJ Redick said before the game. “Luka is progressing well, but we’ll make that decision in real time on Monday.”
James has been averaging 29.0 points, 9.9 assists, and 8.4 rebounds over the last seven games. He became the oldest player in NBA history to score 40 points when he scored 42 points in a win over Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.
Amid talks about how the Lakers will work with James and Doncic together, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle is excited to see how it all comes together. Carlisle was Doncic’s coach for his first three seasons with the Dallas Mavericks from 2018 to 2021.
LeBron James scores in the 2nd half“I don’t see any world in which it doesn’t work great,” Carlisle said. “(Doncic) goes into a game and just decides how the game is going to be played. LeBron James does the same exact thing. These two guys are surgeons, the way they dissect games, and they’re really both impossible to game-plan for.
You have to decide how you’re willing to lose. That’s what it comes down to. This is the Lakers. This is a larger-than-life legacy franchise, so this is an amazing opportunity for Luka.”
James is a record 21-time All-Star and was selected first overall in the team draft for the competition in San Francisco next weekend. The Lakers have two more games before All-Star weekend, playing a home-and-home series with Utah.
Mark Williams, the center the Lakers acquired from Charlotte this week, was also ruled out for the game against the Pacers because the trade was still pending on Saturday morning.
Redick said he hopes to have James, Doncic, and Williams available for Monday’s game.
“I don’t know why we wouldn’t,” Redick said. “We’re not trying to hold guys out.”
Pacers big man Myles Turner also sat out with a head injury, although Carlisle said he wasn’t in the concussion protocol. “He’s done better each of the last two days,” Carlisle said. “Today wasn’t in the cards.”
