Lakers Injury Report: LeBron James Set To Return For First San Antonio Spurs Game Of Back-To-Back
Tonight at 5 p.m. PT, your Los Angeles Lakers will be getting one major reinforcement: 37-year-old All-Star forward LeBron James has been listed as available for today's contest against the San Antonio Spurs, per the league's latest injury report.
James has missed L.A.'s last five straight contests due to a left adductor strain, which he incurred late in an eventual loss against the Clippers.
With James out of the lineup, the Lakers have actually looked pretty darn good in re-orienting their lineups around star big man Anthony Davis, who has been absolutely explosive as a scorer and rebounder over the team's past five contests, during which L.A. has gone 3-2.
Davis's spectacular 30-point, 18-rebound night (in just under 28 minutes) helped Los Angeles obliterate the Spurs in the teams' last matchup on Sunday, a 123-92 Lakers win. AD has now scored 30 or more points and pulled down 16 or more boards across his past four games. Here's hoping that output continues tonight. The Lakers' injury report does mention that Davis is still playing with a tight lower back. That ailment must still be an issue for L.A.'s star center/power forward if the team is going out of its way to list it still, but for now he is battling through it.
For the season, he is averaging 24.9 points on .457/.239/.667 shooting splits. The three-point and free throw shooting percentages would represent career lows, should they hold for the full 2022-23 season. His 45.7% field goal percentage would represent his worst such rate since his rookie season in 2003-04.
Starting point guard Patrick Beverley will begin serving his three-game suspension. Austin Reaves seems likely to suit up as the team's starter at the position.
Forward Juan Toscano-Anderson, who has been just a fringe part of the team's rotation, will return to the floor for L.A. after missing the past few games with a sore mid-back. Rookie shooting guard Max Christie will be available again too, having exited the league's COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
The tanking Spurs, meanwhile, will be without Blake Wesley and veterans Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson.
