Is LeBron James playing tonight against the Dallas Mavericks? | 2021-22 NBA season

The LA Lakers, led by LeBron James, are gearing up to host the Dallas Mavericks in a clash between two teams with deep postseason aspirations.

To say that the the LA Lakers (31-43) have had a challenging season under coach Frank Vogel would be an understatement as they have dropped to tenth in the Western Conference.

The Purple and Gold have hovered at the 0.500 mark throughout the first half of the season and currently find themselves 12 games below 0.500 after falling off a cliff post the All-Star break. They have won only three of their last 10 games and are in desperate need of an uptick in form if they are going to make the postseason this year.

King James' team is currently almost five games behind city rival the Los Angeles Clippers, but more importantly, only half a game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs, who are 11th in the West.

One of the reasons the Lakers have struggled so much is the lack of cohesion and chemistry between Russell Westbrook and James. That, coupled with Anthony Davis missing a huge chunk of games with a foot injury and the team being lackadaisical on defense, means the Lakers have struggled immensely this season.

King James has also missed 19 games, mostly due to an abdominal injury, but has also suffered a knee injury, and has been nursing pain for quite some time now. The Lakers are 7-12 without James on the floor.

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LeBron James is doubtful for tonight's game against the Dallas Mavericks

King James on the sidelines against the Philadelphia 76ers

The Los Angeles Lakers have officially listed LeBron James as doubtful for tonight's game against the Dallas Mavericks. As aforementioned, James has already missed 19 games this season, and at age 37, it seems injuries are starting to bother the superstar. The latest blow was an apparent sprained ankle in the second quarter of the Lakers' defeat against the New Orleans Pelicans.

While James' main injury problem this season has been his abdomen and knee soreness, an ankle injury isn't exactly something new and that will need to be taken care of diligently. It is the type of injury that will usually require the summer to completely recover from, much like the same injury that he suffered last season ahead of the playoffs.

There have been calls to shut down LeBron James for the rest of the season. Many believe this Lakers roster is going nowhere and there is no point in jeopardizing the health of James and the future of the team. James has been averaging 30.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists this season while shooting the ball nearly 36% from the perimeter and a shade over 52% from the field.

Known to be an iron man throughout his illutrious career and not picking up many injuries, age and attrition seem to be finally catching up to arguably the grestest player of all time.