The Lakers have announced that forward LeBron James will not play when the team faces the Grizzlies on Tuesday night in Memphis due to “pain in his right foot.”
Point guard D’Angelo Russell is doubtful to play after missing Sunday’s game in Dallas due to an ankle injury. Anthony Davis has been listed as probable.
James injured his foot during the third quarter Sunday in the Lakers’ 111-108 comeback win over the Mavericks, his sneaker sticking to the field, causing him to fall awkwardly to the floor. He appeared to tell teammates and Lakers personnel that he “heard a bang.”
He was able to stay in and finish the game.
James had a bad limp as he left the arena.
‘It’s been better. That’s for sure,” he said after the victory on Sunday. “But I had absolutely no intention of going to the locker room and not finishing the game tonight. I just understood the importance of the game and with the momentum we had I felt like we could still win after being down. We will keep an eye on it over the next few days, see how it feels and go from there.”
The Lakers are ranked 12th in the Western Conference, but just 3½ games away from the fourth-place Phoenix Suns.
James said he has been dealing with an illness since the All-Star break. Before the break, he missed several games due to pain in his left foot and ankle.
James scored 26 points against the Mavericks on Sunday.
“Yeah, always,” Lakers guard Austin Reaves said when asked if he was concerned when he saw James get hurt. “With him in pain, his ankle sprained, whatever, you never want to see that. One of the guys on the team, you never want anyone to get hurt. So we’re happy he was able to finish the game, and it was really important that he and AD (Anthony Davis) carried us through the stretch.
After Tuesday’s game against the Grizzlies, the Lakers will play in Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
During the All-Star break, James said he hoped to be available for the team during the final push to the playoffs.
“I hope I can figure out a way to make sure I’m available on the floor every night for these 23 games to give us a chance,” he said, “give our group the chance to play every game. ” night and giving ourselves a chance to win every night so we can give ourselves a chance to get into the postseason.