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Lakers' LeBron James Could Miss Action vs Detroit Pistons

The Lakers could roll without LeBron James against the Detroit Pistons.
Justin Grasso|
Nov 29, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) grabs a rebound in the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Nov 29, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) grabs a rebound in the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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Detroit PistonsLos Angeles Lakers

When the Detroit Pistons square off against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, the home team could miss the superstar forward, LeBron James.

According to the official NBA injury report, James is considering an “injury management” absence. Lately, James has been dealing with concerns regarding his foot. He recently missed two games, although his reason for absence was personal.

Prior to his first absence, James appeared in the Lakers’ first 23 games of the season. After a 43-minute shift in a loss against the Atlanta Hawks, James sat out against the Portland Trail Blazers. He stayed off the court for the following matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

On December 15, LeBron returned to action to face the Memphis Grizzlies. He scored 18 points in 34 minutes, helping the Lakers take down the Grizzlies.

Over the next two games, LeBron appeared on the court for 34 minutes in each matchup. At this point, the Lakers are on a three-game win streak since he’s been back in action. Clearly, the presence of the superstar forward makes a big difference for LA.

When the Pistons faced the Lakers earlier this year, LeBron James checked in for 40 minutes. He scored 20 points while coming down with eight rebounds and dishing out 11 assists.

Even with LeBron on the court, the Pistons handled business and picked up an impressive 12-point victory over the Lakers, who were on quite the roll to start the season.

At this stage in the year, the Lakers are 16-12, ranking sixth in the Western Conference. When playing at home, they have won nine out of 12 games. Monday marks the first and only time the Pistons will pay the Lakers a visit this year.

LeBron James is likely a game-time decision for the matchup, which tips at 10:30 PM ET.

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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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