LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James will miss his third consecutive game with injuries to his right hip and left foot when the Los Angeles Lakers host Minnesota on Tuesday night.
The Lakers announced James’ continued absence about two hours before they hosted the Timberwolves.
The top scorer in NBA history hasn’t played since last Thursday, when he injured his left elbow in a hard fall caused by contact with Nikola Jokic late in the Lakers’ loss at Denver. James set the league’s career record for field goals made earlier in that game.
James’ elbow is apparently healed enough to play, but he also bruised his hip in the fall, coach JJ Redick said.
“It’s still day-to-day,” Redick said. “Sometimes day-to-day means two days. Sometimes it can mean five or six days. But he’s day-to-day.”
James has missed 21 of the Lakers’ first 65 games of the season due to injury.
James is hurting in a taxing stretch of the schedule for the Lakers (39-25), who are attempting to play their way into the top four in the Western Conference. Their game against Minnesota was the Lakers’ seventh in 11 days.
Los Angeles still had won five of six heading into its meeting with the Wolves, who knocked the Lakers out of the first round of the playoffs last spring.
James will be sidelined for at least a week with his injuries, because the Lakers’ next game is Thursday against Chicago. That’s not necessarily a terrible thing for James or the Lakers, who need their 41-year-old veteran close to top form down the stretch.
“He’s trying to ramp up,” Redick said. “He wants to be out there, and so do we. Hopefully he’s back soon.”
James missed the first 14 games of the season with sciatica. He was sitting out while the Lakers beat Minnesota twice in the first two weeks.
The Lakers are 13-7 without James in their lineup this season, and they’re 9-2 when Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are both playing without James.
So while Redick wants James on the court, he also knows the group dynamic changes when Doncic can have the ball in his hands as much as he wants.
“There’s a clear pecking order when Luka and AR are on the floor together with guys that are low-usage players,” Redick said. “That’s the nature of nearly every Big Three that’s existed. We’re going to get there, and I think we’ve seen some positive signs. I know LeBron, he recognizes the importance of having Luka as the engine, and all he really wants is to impact winning.”
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