The Los Angeles Lakers fell 131-126 Friday night to the rival Denver Nuggets at the Ball Arena. The Lakers were led by the heroics of Austin Reaves who contributed 37 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds on 50% shooting.
The Los Angeles injury report was filled going into the matchup; this includes five of their top six players in minutes per game. The most notable absences were 21-time All-Star LeBron James and newly acquired five-time First-Team All-NBA member Luka Doncic.
James, who remains out for at least another week with a left groin strain against the Boston Celtics, was at home in Los Angeles during the matchup watching his son Bryce James compete in his high school state championship.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James with his family © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
After celebrating the state championship win with his wife and son, James went to Instagram Saturday morning to publicly congratulate Bryce James.
"YESSIR!!!! So proud of you and CONGRATULATIONS," said James while tagging his son in the picture.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James posts on his Instagram story. kingjames / Instagram kingjames / Instagram
The Lakers have been in quite the rut since LeBron James went out, losing four straight games after an eight-game winning streak. Three of the four losses came to top three seeds in either conference, and the final three were without James, Jaxson Hayes, and Rui Hachimura amongst others.
LA has four games remaining in this stretch of six games in eight days, with two of the games again facing Denver and the Milwaukee Bucks. While health remains the priority, the Lakers need some help to continue to compete for the second seed in the Western Conference. Los Angeles has now dropped to the fifth seed since the losing streak, yet they remain just two games behind Denver for second.
Related: LeBron James Posts One-Word Message After Bryce James News
Related: Austin Reaves Makes Nikola Jokic Admission After Lakers' Fourth Straight Loss
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This story was originally published March 15, 2025 at 12:50 PM.