LeBron James active, Anthony Davis unlikely to play Wednesday vs. Pacers

Update, Nov. 24 - James will suit up for the Lakers after serving his suspension, while Davis appears unlikely to play due to an illness. The Lakers were already underdogs in this contest and might see a few more points go Indiana’s way at the sportsbooks with Davis likely being out.

Update, Nov. 24 — James and Anthony Davis are both listed as questionable to play in Wednesday’s game against the Pacers. James served his one-game suspension Tuesday and should be good for this game, while Davis has always been upgraded ahead of the game and eventually suits up.

Update, Nov. 22 — James is back on the injury report as questionable to play in Tuesday’s game vs. the New York Knicks. LeBron was tossed from Sunday night’s win over the Pistons after an altercation with Isaiah Stewart. James threw an elbow and was given a flagrant 2 foul. He may end up getting a suspension, though this is also LeBron James we’re talking about. The League likely won’t discipline James and his presence on the injury report sort of confirms that.

Update, Nov. 21 - James is suiting up in Sunday’s contest, and it appears the abdominal strain is not going to be a lingering issue for him. The King returned Friday and hopes to get the Lakers back on track with a win over the Pistons.

Update, Nov. 20 — James is officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest against the Pistons, but we can assume he’ll suit up after making his return to the court Friday against the Celtics.

Update, Nov. 19 — James is planning on making his return to the court Friday against the Celtics, according to Chris Haynes. The star has been dearly missed, and will provide a much-needed boost to the struggling Lakers.

Update, Nov. 19 — LeBron James is going to be a game-time decision for Friday night vs. the Celtics, per coach Frank Vogel. So we’ll have to wait until closer to tip-off to get word on James’ status. Chances are he’ll be able to return to the lineup in a big game vs. Boston.

Update, Nov. 18 — LeBron James is being listed as questionable to play in Friday’s game vs. the Celtics. There was a report below that the Lakers were optimistic James would be able to return to the lineup by the end of the week. Anthony Davis is probable to play in his 16th straight game on the injury report it seems. The Lakers desperately need James back in the lineup having lost three of their past four games, including two straight.

Los Angeles Lakers F LeBron James could be back in the lineup as soon as Friday vs. the Boston Celtics, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. James has been sidelined the past two weeks due to an abdominal strain, but there’s optimism within the Lakers organization that he can return by the end of the week. The Lakers are coming off a 121-103 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Monday night to drop to 8-7 on the season.

James has missed a total of 9 games so far this season. He hasn’t played since Nov. 2, when the Lakers were on a four-game winning streak. His numbers in the 6 games he’s played have been lackluster. James is averaging 24.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game this season. A few days ago James hadn’t even returned to contact drills in practice, though coach Frank Vogel told reporters LeBron looked good in individual work.

Obviously, getting LeBron back would be huge for the Lakers. It would not be huge for Russell Westbrook fantasy basketball managers. Russ has gotten more usage with LeBron sidelined, looking more like the Westbrook from the Thunder and/or Rockets and/or Wizards. With Westbrook, LeBron and Anthony Davis all healthy, the Lakers should be more competitive, but it hurts all three in fantasy.

The Lakers also just got Talen Horton-Tucker back. He scored 28 points vs. the Bulls but could move back to a bench role if James returns. It’ll be THT or Carmelo Anthony who moves back to the second unit most likely. Add those two to the list of players impacted by LeBron’s impending return.