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The LA Lakers, led by LeBron James, are gearing up to take on the Philadelphia 76ers in a matchup between two teams with championship aspirations.
The Lakers (24-24) have had a challenging season under coach Frank Vogel as they are ninth in the Western Conference. They have hovered around the .500 mark all season. The Lakers have won five of their last 10 games and are coming into this game after beating the Brooklyn Nets, albeit without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, on the road.
LeBron James' team is 3.5 games behind the fifth-place Dallas Mavericks (28-21) and are in desperate need of an uptick if they are going to become a serious playoff threat.
One of the reasons the Lakers have struggled so much is the lack of cohesion and chemistry between Russell Westbrook and "King James." That, coupled with Anthony Davis missing a huge chunk of games with a knee injury, means the Lakers haven't had their Big Three together for many games.
James has also missed 12 games, mostly due to an abdominal injury, and has been nursing that pain for quite some time now. The Lakers are 5-7 without James.
LeBron James is questionable for tonight's game against the Philadelphia 76ers
LA Lakers superstar LeBron James has been listed as questionable for Thursday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Phlily.
James has already missed 12 games this season, and at age 37, injuries are slowly starting to bother LeBron.
While James' main injury problem this season has been his abdomen, the knee soreness is relatively new and something that will need to be taken care of diligently.
With a tantalizing game Thursday night against another MVP candidate in Joel Embiid, it will be interesting to see if Frank Vogel opts to play James. The coach might be tempted to rest his superstar given the fact the Lakers are midway through a six-game road trip. Before hosting the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, the Lakers visit the Sixers, Atlanta Hawks (Friday) and Charlotte Hornets (Sunday).
It is not a comfortable run of games for the Lakers by any means as they try to make up some ground in the Western Conference. They are 5.5 games behind the Utah Jazz (30-19), who would have the coveted home-court advantage if the playoffs began today. With AD just returning from injury and Westbrook struggling, the onus has been on James' shoulders.
