LeBron James remains out with a left foot injury for the Lakers, who are already without Doncic and Reaves

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James will miss the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against Oklahoma City on Tuesday night to rest his injured left foot.

The Pacific Division champion Lakers are already without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, both sidelined for at least the remainder of the regular season due to significant injuries. Doncic, Reaves and James are averaging a combined 77.6 points per game this season, which is 66.5% of the Lakers’ typical nightly scoring.

Announcement

The 41-year-old James dealt with arthritis and discomfort in his left foot for much of the regular season and occasionally missed games to rest. The Thunder’s visit will be the 22nd game he has missed in his unprecedented 23rd NBA season.

The Lakers’ injuries last week severely damaged their hopes of being a championship contender in Doncic’s first full season with the club.

Both Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, and Reaves were injured during the Lakers’ loss to the Thunder last week. Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and Reaves injured his oblique muscles.

The Lakers have indicated only that both Doncic and Reaves will miss the rest of the week, but their injuries typically take longer to heal than most athletes.

Announcement

In his first game after fresh injuries to Doncic and Reaves last Sunday, James had 30 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds, but the Lakers lost 134-128 to the struggling Dallas Mavericks.

James is averaging 20.8 points, 7.1 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game this season. He broke another set of NBA records this season, recently surpassing Robert Parish’s record for career games played.

The Lakers’ visit by the defending champion Thunder is the first of three games in four days. Los Angeles plays at Golden State on Thursday and hosts Phoenix on Friday.

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