Lakers Get LeBron James Injury Update Before Cavs Game

Dec 31, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers will head into Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Crypto.com Arena with high hopes of winning a fourth straight game and their 50th of the 2025-26 NBA season.

Although they'll have superstar Luka Doncic back in the fold after missing Monday's game against the Washington Wizards due to a one-game suspension, the Lakers might have to host the Cavs without LeBron James.

LeBron James Listed as Questionable vs. Cavs

James popped up on the Lakers' injury report ahead of Tuesday's game against his former team due to left foot injury management, which isn't entirely unusual because it is the second game of a back-to-back.

LeBron James is QUESTIONABLE tonight pic.twitter.com/ojMiEysfwi

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) March 31, 2026

If James is ultimately ruled out for this matchup against the Cavs, the Lakers will likely lean on Jake LaRavia and Rui Hachimura to help pick up the slack.

Along with James potentially missing Tuesday's game, veteran guard Marcus Smart continues to deal with a right ankle contusion, which will keep him sidelined for a fifth straight game.

Even if James does end up missing this game against the Cavs, it would be for rest purposes and not something to be overly concerned about moving forward. Following this matchup against Donovan Mitchell and company, the Lakers will have only one more back-to-back in the final stretch of the regular season, which will be consecutive games against the Golden State Warriors (April 9) and Phoenix Suns (April 10).

There's a chance that James misses one of those games as well to keep him fresh for the NBA playoffs, which get underway on April 18, with the Lakers getting closer and closer to wrapping the third seed in the Western Conference if they can keep the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets at bay.

The concern right now is Smart's status moving forward, as he hasn't played since the win over the Orlando Magic on March 21. Smart is the backbone of the Lakers' defense and will be crucial to the team's success during the playoffs, so getting him back as healthy as possible will be important.

After Tuesday, the Lakers will have six games left on their regular-season schedule, with no margin for error, as the Nuggets trail them by only a game and a half. while the Timberwolves are three games back, with the Rockets being four games back.

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