The Los Angeles Lakers announced LeBron James (left knee soreness/effusion) is out, Anthony Davis (right wrist soreness) is questionable and Malik Monk (left groin soreness) and Russell Westbrook (right knee soreness) are probable for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.
While it’s possible James is feeling better in the morning and his status gets upgraded, he will likely miss his third straight game with soreness and swelling in his left knee.
Frank Vogel said on Friday that James would not need further testing and believed it was a minor injury, so it’s possible that James is just waiting for the swelling to go down. If he doesn’t play on Sunday in the early 10 a.m. PT game in Atlanta to close out the road trip, then the Lakers’ next game isn’t until Wednesday at home against the Portland Trail Blazers so he would have a few extra days to rest and ensure he is back at 100%.
If James suffered any sort of setback then Vogel will likely give that update before the game against the Hawks.
As for Davis, he returned and played two games after missing over a month with a knee injury of his own. He looked like his old self in Thursday night’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, but suffered the wrist injury in the process.
That issue combined with him just getting back from the knee injury and not having much time on the practice court led to Davis sitting out Friday night’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
Vogel listed Davis as day-to-day, so it seems he has a chance of playing against the Hawks, which is sorely needed with an opportunity to close out the road trip with a 3-3 record.
Lakers receive good news
On the more positive side of the injury report, Monk was upgraded to probable after missing the Hornets game with a groin injury. He has been one of the Lakers’ most consistent scorers over the last month so it is good to see he avoided a more serious injury and likely will be able to return against Atlanta.
Westbrook, who had his best game of the season with 30 points in the second half against Charlotte to bring the Lakers back from down 20, is also listed as probable. He is the only Laker to play in every game this season so will likely be able to play and build off his last performance on Sunday.
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