Is LeBron James playing tonight against Denver Nuggets? Looking at 4x Finals MVP's status for Game 4 (April 27)

LA Lakers have listed LeBron James as available for the coming contest against the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the round-one series of their Western Conference matchup.

The Lakers have delivered strong performances in the first half but have faltered in the second half across all three games. Denver has consistently outscored them by double digits after halftime, and the Lakers have found it challenging to finish games strongly.

Anthony Davis continued his excellent play, scoring 33 points on 14-23 shooting and grabbing 15 rebounds.

LeBron James added 26 points and six rebounds and led the team with nine assists. Austin Reaves also stepped up, contributing 22 points on 8-17 shooting. However, the Lakers struggled with their three-point shooting, making only 5 of their 27 attempts.

The Lakers were outmatched by the Nuggets in rebounding and lacked quickness in retrieving loose balls. D'Angelo Russell replicated his underwhelming Game 1 performance, going 0 of 7 from the field without scoring any points.

Rui Hachimura also continued to struggle, contributing just five points in Game 3. On a positive note, the Lakers' bench showed improvement; Spencer Dinwiddie contributed eight points and three assists, Taurean Prince added seven points, and Gabe Vincent scored four points.

This marked the first game in the series where the Lakers' bench outscored that of the Nuggets. Moreover, the Lakers excelled in ball control, turning it over only seven times.

What happened to LeBron James?

LeBron James has been contending with flu-like symptoms, most notably during the recent play-in game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Additionally, his injury report for the latter part of the season has highlighted an ongoing issue with left ankle peroneal tendinopathy, which first emerged on January 4.

NBA: Playoffs-Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers

Since the All-Star break, this condition has caused James to miss seven out of eight games. As a result, the Lakers have posted a 6-5 record in games without James this season.

LeBron James stats vs Denver Nuggets

LeBron James has appeared in 43 games against the Denver Nuggets, going 20-23, including 4-8 in the playoffs.

The 20-time All-Star has averaged 26.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 8.1 assists with 1.2 steals and 0.7 blocks on 50.0% shooting from the field, including 29.1% from beyond the arc and a subpar 69.3% from the free-throw line.

In the playoffs, he has averaged 27.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.5 assists, with 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks on 53.7% shooting from the field, 31.3% from the 3-point line and 76.0% from the charity stripe.