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NBA All-Star team captain, LeBron James’ status tonight versus the New Orleans Pelicans is iffy. James has been dealing with left ankle soreness for more than a month already but has largely played through the injury.
James sat out last Monday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets but has played 11 of their past 13 games, including the last two. It seems like he’s unbothered by the nagging soreness as he has been putting up impressive numbers.
Since turning 38 years old, the four-time NBA MVP has been averaging 34.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.2 assists. He is shooting 51.9% from the field, including 33.6% from behind the arc.
James dropped 26 points the other night to rally the LA Lakers past the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-111. His 38,325 points are now just 63 points away from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time NBA scoring record of 38,387.
If he is deemed unavailable tonight, Rui Hachimura could take his spot in the starting rotation.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic has been ruled out of tonight’s game between the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors. The recently-named NBA All-Star starter left the game early against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a right heel bruise.
Doncic played just 23 minutes but still managed to put up a team-high 31 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Dallas is expected to struggle when they take on the defending NBA champs without their best player. The Mavericks are 0-6 when Doncic is unavailable this season.
“Luka Legend’s” injury isn’t reportedly severe, but the Mavericks will sideline him for at least a few more games. Dallas opens a five-game road trip starting with tonight’s matchup in San Francisco against the Warriors. Doncic isn’t with the team.
If he rejoins the squad on the road, then he could be close to a return. Until then, Spencer Dinwiddie will handle point guard duties without him.
Anthony Davis: Right foot, stress injury; Injured since December 16, 2022
Anthony Davis has played in four of the LA Lakers’ past five games since returning from a right foot stress injury. He didn’t play last Monday in Brooklyn as the team is still monitoring his minutes and workload.
He is probable tonight when the Lakers take on the New Orleans Pelicans to cap off a grueling five-game road trip.
Davis, who didn’t make it to the NBA All-Star team, is averaging 23.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists since his return.
Unless there’s a huge setback after the Lakers’ morning shootaround, Anthony Davis should be available for tonight’s game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Right knee soreness: Injured since January 1, 2023
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been dealing with right knee soreness for over a month now. He missed five consecutive games from Jan. 12 to Jan. 21 but has played in the Milwaukee Bucks’ last six games.
The NBA All-Star team captain is averaging 40.2 points, 14.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists since his return. He is shooting 59.5% from the field and a surprisingly decent 38.5% clip from deep.
“The Greek Freak” has scored at least 50 points in two of the Bucks’ last three games. He exploded for 54 points the other night against the LA Clippers.
The two-time NBA MVP is expected to suit up for the Milwaukee Bucks tonight versus the Miami Heat.
