The Los Angeles Lakers will be without LeBron James for tonight’s contest against the Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena. James was previously listed as questionable for this game against the Kings due to an illness but has been ruled out now.
“Lakers announce LeBron James (illness) has been downgraded to OUT for tonight’s game vs. Sacramento.”
James, who is averaging 23.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in 2024-25, was absent from Friday’s practice due to this illness and hasn’t recovered in time to suit up against the Kings. This will now be the third game this season that the 39-year-old has missed and all of them have been this month.
Back in October, James revealed he planned on playing all 82 games this season. It seemed unrealistic at his age and it didn’t take too long before he had to sit out. The 20-time All-Star missed games against the Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 8 and Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 13 due to a left foot issue and the Lakers went 1-1 in them.
It will be interesting to see how the Lakers fare without James against the Kings. This illness doesn’t appear to be anything too serious, with Lakers head coach JJ Redick stating he isn’t concerned about his star moving forward. Gabe Vincent will be taking James’ spot in the lineup here and it will be just his fifth start of the season.
While James is out, some other big names are likely to play. Redick revealed that Rui Hachimura, who had also missed Friday’s practice due to illness, is available. Anthony Davis (questionable) and D’Angelo Russell (probable), meanwhile, have a good chance to play.
The 17-13 Lakers enter this contest against the 13-18 Kings after winning four of their last five games and would be confident of getting another despite James’ absence. They have won the first three meetings between the teams this season and are eying a series sweep here.
While the Lakers enter this clash on a high, the Kings come into it on a low. They have lost their last five games and fired Mike Brown on Friday. Interim head coach Doug Christie will be in charge against the Lakers and it will be interesting to see how the Kings players respond after Brown’s dismissal.
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