Is LeBron James Playing vs Pelicans? Lakers Release Injury Report

Will 21-time All-Star Los Angeles Lakers power forward LeBron James be available to suit up against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, on the second night of a back-to-back slate of home bouts?

After starting off a bit slowly (he scored no points in the first quarter), James looked terrific during L.A.'s unfortunate 123-116 Crypto.com Arena loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

The 40-year-old scored a team-most 33 points on an efficient 10-of-15 shooting from the field (5-of-8 from distance) and 8-of-9 shooting from the free throw line, dished out nine dimes, pulled down five rebounds, blocked a shot and snagged a steal, while playing for a whopping 40 minutes.

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It was his most complete game in the seven he's played since returning from a groin strain that had kept him on the shelf for two weeks last month.

James acknowledged that his body was in the best place it's been since he originally suffered the ailment, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“That was the best I’ve felt since before the injury, for sure,” he said. “I just tried to press, get downhill. My rhythm, as far as my jump shot, felt pretty good today. I have been shooting it from the free throw line extremely well as of late. But that was probably the best physically I’ve felt so hopefully I can build off of that.”

Per a pregame injury report and ESPN's Dave McMenamin, James was considered probable to suit up through the groin injury.

Rui Hachimura is out tonight, per the Lakers pic.twitter.com/KlR28Gjumc
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 4, 2025

Elsewhere for the Lakers on Thursday night, Austin Reaves also had a great night of clutch shotmaking, scoring 31 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field (9-of-16 from deep) and 2-of-3 shooting from the charity stripe, while also chipping in six rebounds, three assists and a steal. Small forward Rui Hachimura scored 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor (3-of-6 from 3-point land) and 3-of-4 shooting from the foul line, grabbed six rebounds and passed for three assists.

Ultimately, L.A. was no match for the small-ball Warriors, who are now a whopping 19-2 when both Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry are in the lineup.

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Curry, who at 37 was the second-oldest player on the court Thursday behind only James, scored a game-most 37 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the field (4-of-11 from 3-point land) and 13-of-14 from the free throw line, while passing for six assists and grabbing three rebounds. Curry has also started off cold, like James, before catching fire in the third period. Second-year Golden State guard Brandin Podziemski helped carry the club in the first half.

Butler and Draymond Green had modest statistical nights (although Green did log 11 rebounds), but found themselves in all the right places to help their team win.

James, at least, will have an opportunity to redeem himself against a tanking Pelicans squad on Friday. He has been ruled in for the bout.

The Lakers say LeBron James (left groin strain) has been upgraded to available for tonight’s game vs. New Orleans.

Bronny James Jr. (illness) has been downgraded to out.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 5, 2025

At 21-55, New Orleans has its eyes locked on maximizing its lottery odds for June's 2025 NBA Draft. Now 46-30, the Lakers are currently the West's No. 4 seed, in the thick of the playoff hunt.

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