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LeBron James, Luka Doncic Injury Update: February 20 vs. Trail Blazers

LeBron James, Luka Doncic Injury Update: February 20 vs. Trail Blazers

NBA News

Updated:

By: Alex Hunter

UPDATE: James is available play.

Playing their second game in two nights, the Lakers have ruled out Luka Doncic (injury management) and Jarred Vanderbilt (surgery management) for Thursday’s matchup with the Trail Blazers. LeBron James is (injury management) is questionable.

If James plays, he will see a mammoth role with Doncic missing, as will Austin Reaves ($8,200). With Doncic and Anthony Davis (now with the Mavericks) off the floor this season, James and Reaves’ usage rates rise 3.7 and 4.9 percentage points, respectively. Fantasy wise, James is scoring 60 FPTS per game with Doncic and Davis inactive, while Reaves is amassing 46 FPTS per game.

Now, if James is out, Reaves will become the Lakers’ alpha and a must-play. In the lone game Reaves has played without James, Doncic and Davis this season, Reaves scored a career-high 45 points vs. the Pacers, resulting in 70.25 FPTS.

The Lakers are 4-2 on the second leg of back-to-back sets this season, but with Doncic out and James in question, the Trail Blazers are a one-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Alex Hunter
Alex Hunter is an avid DFS player and sports handicapper, who has been a proud member of the DraftKings Network team since 2020. He is a data-driven analyst, who earned his bachelor’s degree in communications at Worcester State University and has been in the sports content business for nearly a decade, covering the NBA, NFL and PGA TOUR. Alex is a diehard Boston Celtics fan, who loves to be on the golf course when he isn’t grinding lineups or producing content. For all of Alex’s work or if you need any lineup advice, be sure to follow him @Hunta512 on X.
Disclaimer

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.