March 31, (THEWILL) – LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, will miss his second consecutive game, due to a damaged ankle.
The 18-time All-Star has been ruled out of the Lakers’ game against the Utah Jazz on Thursday. He was forced to sit out the Lakers’ rout of the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday due to a sprained ankle.
In the team’s previous game, an eight-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, James was doing what he does best to lead the team to victory before the injury.
Despite Los Angeles’ problems, James has had a tremendous offensive comeback this season. In 55 starts, James has averaged a career-high 30.1 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game.
In terms of scoring, he currently leads the NBA.
Unfortunately, the Lakers have not been able to capitalise on James’ impressive numbers. With a 31-44 record, the Lakers are tied for 10th place in the Western Conference with the San Antonio Spurs.
If the season ended today, the Lakers would be eliminated from the play-in tournament because they would lose a tiebreaker to the Spurs, who have the same record.
Los Angeles has not been able to employ a fully healthy roster, which has not helped matters. James has missed many games this season due to abdominal and knee injuries. And, because of knee and foot problems, the Lakers have been missing their star big man Anthony Davis for much of the year.
The Lakers’ struggles will almost certainly continue while James is gone. Russell Westbrook, the team’s top offensive alternative, will be the team’s top option, but his first year in Los Angeles has been marred by inconsistency.
Meanwhile, Westbrook is averaging 18.2 points this season, which is incidentally his lowest scoring average since his second season in the league.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
