Lakers Make Final Decision on LeBron James Injury Status For Game 1

Mar 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) warms up prior to the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

The L.A. crowd is set to be electric as the Lakers host a playoff series opener for the first time since 2012. It's been a long time coming for the Lakers, and they'll need the high-level play of their superstar, LeBron James, to make a deep run.

James came into this contest listed as probable; however, the Lakers have upgraded him to be available and will start for L.A.

Lineup alert: Lakers will start Doncic, Reaves, Hachimura, LeBron, Hayes on Saturday.

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) April 20, 2025

James entered Saturday's contest on the injury report with a left hip flexor strain. He was expected to be available, and now his availability has been confirmed.

It is unclear if he is 100 percent, as he didn't explicitly state that he is healthy with the media on Friday. Instead, he said he would be available.

Nonetheless, James will be on the court, which will boost the Lakers' chances of coming out of Game 1 with a 1-0 series lead over Minnesota.

In the season, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game in 70 regular-season contests, shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc.

The 40-year-old has struggled to stay healthy during his Lakers tenure, yet he met the threshold for major awards this season. While that is the case, James played three games against the Timberwolves this season.

In those three games, he averaged 19.7 points, 4.7 assists, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from three. James went 2-1 against Minnesota.

If the Lakers want to win this series, James will need to be a lot more efficient on the offensive side, especially if they want to put the Timberwolves to bed early.

While James will play a huge role, not all the offensive burden will be on him. Adding Luka Doncic has done wonders for the Lakers and their offense.

Doncic, who is younger and better at this stage in his career, will be massive for L.A. and their playoff chances in this series and beyond.

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