The Los Angeles Lakers received a boost of good energy this week after last week was full of turmoil and drama. That boost was in the form of the return of Anthony Davis as he returned to the court Tuesday vs. the Nets. It was the first time he had played since December 17th, serving as only the 16th of 48 games played where the Lakers had Davis, LeBron James, and Russell Westbrook all on the court.
Sadly, it seems we won’t get two of those games in a row, as LeBron James will be out tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers. LeBron apparently woke up with left knee soreness.
Frank Vogel says LeBron won't play tonight against the Sixers.
"He's out tonight… Just woke up with some soreness that was enough to hold him out. He'll be day-to-day."
— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) January 27, 2022
For Lakers fans worrying about the long-term implications of LeBron’s left knee soreness, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported in the following video that it is nothing to get worked up about, implying it is just a factor of LeBron’s old age. As Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen & Roll reports above, Frank Vogel stated that he is day-to-day. It may have just been a precaution and a way to have him for sure be ready for the Lakers second night of a back-to-back when they play the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
"Doesn't sound like there's anything to be too scared about."
Stadium #NBA Insider @ShamsCharania doesn't think Lakers fans should be too concerned about LeBron James' knee injury. pic.twitter.com/OXYC5fUcVD
— The Rally (@TheRally) January 27, 2022
However, even if the injury isn’t too serious, it appears The King is angry about not being able to play tonight. It must be really sore if he’s this mad about being held out.
🤬🤬🤬🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 27, 2022
It’s sad that the Lakers’ momentum from Tuesday seemingly won’t carry over into tonight’s game against the 76ers. Given the fact that the Nets were without both Kevin Durant (injury) and Kyrie Irving (can’t play in Nets home games), tonight’s game could have served as a good test of where the team is at when at full strength against the 28-19 76ers.
We’ll still get to see Davis play, and this should be a great matchup to see where he’s at defensively as he will likely be covering Joel Embiid often (although Vogel has indicated Dwight Howard will see time tonight after being held out against the Nets). Embiid is an MVP candidate this year, averaging 29.0 points (career-high), 10.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game this season.
LeBron James is also somewhat in the MVP conversation, and is currently playing the best basketball he’s played all season. Hopefully he will return very soon.