UPDATE: LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves have all been upgraded to available for tonight against the Thunder.
The Los Angeles Lakers are still fighting for playoff positioning in the top half of the Western Conference. With a major rematch against the Oklahoma City Thunder coming up on Tuesday, both of L.A.’s star players now carry questionable tags.
LeBron James is officially questionable to play due to a left groin strain, while Luka Doncic is also questionable with a right groin strain.
The third-place Lakers are just 1.5 games ahead of the Denver Nuggets in the standings. As they look to maintain their place near the top, they’ll have to weigh their need for wins against their superstars’ longer-term health heading into the NBA Playoffs in less than two weeks.
The 40-year-old James has dealt with a groin issue over the last couple of weeks, playing through it in most instances. The 20-time All-Star averages 24.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 8.4 assists on the season as he continues to defy Father Time’s impact.
As for the Lakers’ prized midseason acquisition, Doncic’s groin issue appears to be a new ailment. He played 37 minutes in Los Angeles’ last game, producing 30 points, seven boards, and six dimes in Sunday’s win over the Thunder. Overall this season, the Slovenian point guard averages 27.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists. Notably, Doncic recently made Lakers history by connecting on 64 three-pointers during the March, a new team record for made threes in a single month.
With both stars questionable to play Tuesday, Austin Reaves would typically be in line as the biggest beneficiary if one of his star teammates misses time. However, Reaves himself is also questionable with a right ankle sprain. Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent, and Bronny James are also all questionable, so it’s difficult to predict who may see a bump in usage if key players are ruled out.
The Lakers are 48-30 on the campaign with just four games to go in the season.
