Is LeBron James Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Hawks vs. Lakers)

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers lost as 9.5-point road favorites on Monday night against the Sacramento Kings, and it appears they could be short-handed on Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks.

James, who said earlier this month that he'd be questionable for every back-to-back going forward, declined to say whether or not he'd play on Tuesday. However, it's worth noting that the 41-year-old has not played in both ends of a back-to-back all season long.

LeBron James when asked about his status for second leg of back-to-back on Tuesday:

“I already answered that question [about back-to-backs] in New Orleans.” https://t.co/la2NO5f7gd
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) January 13, 2026

As a result, the Lakers are 3.5-point underdogs at home against the suddenly surging Hawks on Tuesday. In addition to James being up in the air, Luka Doncic said that he's uncertain for Tuesday night's matchup.

That would certainly doom a Lakers team that is already without guard Austin Reaves (calf) for the next couple of weeks.

Luka Doncic (groin, thigh) said he's uncertain for Tuesday.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) January 13, 2026

DraftKings has pushed the Lakers to +130 on the moneyline, which is an implied probability of just 43.48 percent to win. If both James and Doncic sit, the Lakers should move to even bigger underdogs on Tuesday night.

James had 22 points against the Kings on Monday night, and he's now averaging 22.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Even though he's on the wrong side of 40, James is still one of the best players in the league, and he's scored 22 or more points in each of his five games in January.

The Lakers are now the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, and they're tied with the Phoenix Suns at 8.5 games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder (the No. 1 seed). If the Suns win on Tuesday and the Lakers lose, L.A. would be in danger of falling into the play-in tournament conversation in the West.

James' status will be updated once the Lakers officially release an injury report on Tuesday.

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