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LeBron James missed his second game of the season on Wednesday night when the LA Lakers took on the San Antonio Spurs. James has been dealing with a left calf injury since last month but has played through it until two days ago. So, is LeBron James playing tonight against the Spurs?
According to the Lakers' injury report, James will play against the Spurs despite a left calf contusion. He has been dealing with the injury for more than a month but has only missed two games.
Anthony Davis is ruled out while Taurean Prince will play on Friday. Jarred Vanderbilt will join LeBron James on the court tonight. Jalen Hood-Schifino and Gabe Vincent are out while Rui Hachimura is available. Hachimura will continue wearing a mask to protect his nasal injury.
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What happened to LeBron James?
As mentioned above, LeBron James missed his second game of the season on Wednesday night and is questionable for the rematch against the San Antonio Spurs. So, what happened to James, and how did he get the injury?
"The King" suffered the injury on Nov. 10 in a game against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. James was in a fastbreak when he ran into Durant's knee, which hit his left leg. He was subbed out of the game but returned in the second quarter.
James missed the LA Lakers' game two days later in Portland. He has been on the team's injury report regularly for more than a month. Wednesday's game was also the second game of a back-to-back, so the Lakers decided to give their 38-year-old superstar a break.
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LeBron James' stats vs San Antonio Spurs
LeBron James has played against the San Antonio Spurs 41 times in the regular season during his long career. James has fared well against Gregg Popovich's team, averaging 27.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
The four-time NBA MVP shoots 50.2% against the Spurs and has a winning record of 22-19. With San Antonio's struggles this season, the LA Lakers could decide to give James extra rest.
Here's the Lakers' schedule for the rest of 2023:
- Dec. 18 vs Knicks
- Dec. 20 vs Bulls
- Dec. 21 @ Timberwolves
- Dec. 23 @ Thunder
- Dec. 25 vs Celtics
- Dec. 28 vs Hornets
- Dec. 30 @ Timberwolves
- Dec. 31 @ Pelicans
