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The Los Angeles Lakers' injury report, and the injury status for LeBron James and Luka Doncic, are all good news for the Sunday Celtics game.
The Los Angeles Lakers were struck by the injury bug once again on Thursday night, continuing a troubling trend that has followed the team throughout the season.
During the Lakers’ 120-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets, LeBron James suffered an elbow injury late in the fourth quarter after driving to the basket for a layup and falling hard to the floor.
Although he briefly returned to the game, James eventually exited for good as the contest wound down.
Earlier in the night, however, the Lakers had already lost another key player.
Starting center Deandre Ayton left the game after just four minutes and was later ruled out for the remainder of the contest, raising fresh concerns just as Los Angeles had begun to enjoy a rare clean bill of health.
Lakers Receive Concerning Update on Deandre Ayton
Ayton had previously missed two games prior to the All-Star break due to soreness in his right knee.
After the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick revealed that the latest issue involved the center’s left knee instead.
“I didn’t [get an update], I think it’s just left knee soreness or whatever knee’s been bothering him,” Redick said postgame. “It’s left knee, yeah.”
The update leaves Ayton’s status uncertain ahead of Friday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, which comes on the second night of a back-to-back.
With Ayton sidelined, backup center Jaxson Hayes stepped into an expanded role and delivered one of his most efficient performances of the season, amid growing calls for adjustments within the Lakers’ center rotation.
Hayes finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and two assists while shooting an impressive 8-of-10 from the field. He also posted the second-best plus-minus on the team at plus-seven, trailing only Rui Hachimura’s plus-10.
Elsewhere, Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 27 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals while shooting 11-of-24 from the field and 3-of-10 from three-point range.
Austin Reaves added 16 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.
LeBron James Injury Casts Shadow Over Historic Night
James finished the game with 16 points, five rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and one block while shooting an efficient 7-of-11 from the field in the Lakers’ loss.
Earlier in the first quarter, he achieved another historic milestone.
On a fadeaway jumper, James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most field goals made in NBA history, setting a new mark of 15,838 after entering the game needing just three baskets to break the record.
Despite the achievement, the injury and the loss ultimately overshadowed the moment.
“It’s pretty sore right now,” James told reporters. “It feels like a funny bone situation, but even more intense. Let’s see what happens over the next couple of days.”
“Hopefully, I’ll wake up tomorrow, and it doesn’t feel too much worse than it is now. If it feels better, that’d be great.”
Whether James will be available for the Pacers matchup remains unclear, particularly given the ongoing discussion around his availability on back-to-back games throughout the season.
The defeat snapped the Lakers’ three-game winning streak and dropped their record to 37-25.
Los Angeles currently sits sixth in a tightly contested Western Conference. Denver has moved 1.5 games ahead in fifth place, while the Phoenix Suns remain just two games back in the play-in race.
With the postseason race tightening, every Lakers result carries increased significance as the regular season enters its decisive stretch.