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LeBron James Official Playing Status for Detroit Pistons vs Lakers

Will LeBron James face the Detroit Pistons on Monday?
Justin Grasso|
Feb 13, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after not getting a foul call in the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Feb 13, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after not getting a foul call in the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Detroit PistonsLos Angeles Lakers

Heading into their Monday night matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Detroit Pistons anticipated potentially playing against a LaBron James-less LA team

On the injury report, the Lakers downgraded LeBron to questionable. The veteran forward has been managing a left foot injury.

That won't stop him from playing on Monday. The Lakers have upgraded LeBron to available for the matchup against the Pistons.

Prior to LA’s current three-game stretch leading up to Monday’s game, LeBron missed two games for the first time this season. In matchups against the Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Lakers went 1-1 without their star forward.

When James returned to action on December 15 to take on the Memphis Grizzlies, LeBron checked in for 34 minutes. He scored 18 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds to help lead the Lakers past the Grizzlies.

In the next two games, LeBron appeared on the court for 34 minutes each time. He averaged 25 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists while hitting on 47 percent of his shots from the field.

When the Pistons and the Lakers met for the first and only time this season back in early November, LeBron checked in for 40 minutes. He produced 20 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists. Although LeBron was on the floor, his presence didn’t help propel the Lakers past the Pistons as Detroit defeated LA by 12 points.

As far as the rest of the Lakers’ injury report goes, LA ruled out Christian Wood, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and Jaxson Hayes. Anthony Davis was also questionable, but has been upgraded to available.

On Monday, the Pistons will search for their 13th victory of the year.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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