Lakers Injury Report: Are LeBron James & Anthony Davis Playing Tonight in Game 3 vs Denver?

Despite a valiant effort that allowed them to go from being the 8th seed to being a significant playoff contender, lady luck no longer seems to be on the side of the Los Angeles Lakers. The franchise has now lost both of its playoff games against the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets. Another loss would make it impossible for them to proceed to the tournament’s next round. Therefore, the Lakers need the full arsenal of their offensive lineup backing them during Game 3 at the Crypto.com Arena. To ensure that, the availability of lead scorers LeBron James and Anthony Davis remains the game-changer. 

A few hours ago, ‘The Athletic’ reporter Jovan Buha took to his official X account to highlight details from the Lakers’ recently released Injury Report. The update revealed LeBron James and Anthony Davis are listed as ‘Probable’ on the report. It is the same status the duo held prior to the commencement of the previous game as well. Furthermore, Cam Reddish, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, and Jalen Hood-Schifino remain in the ‘OUT’ category.

LeBron James’ ankle injury (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) has been a mild but constant annoyance throughout the regular season. Fortunately, while it limited his playtime during the All-Star Break, it caused him to miss out on only a few crucial games. He was last absent from the main lineup over two weeks ago, and his status has not dropped to anything serious like ‘Questionable’ or ‘Doubtful’. Therefore, LA fans set to throng the Crypto. Com Arena in the next few hours, can expect their star player to be present to lead the team forward.

Anthony Davis’s issue with his lower back is something that he recently developed. It first became noticeable during the Lakers’ final regular season game against the New Orleans Pelicans. However, the injury has not affected the player’s offensive prowess until now. In fact, his average during the playoffs has significantly improved from the one he had secured during the regular season.

Similarly to the Lakers, the Denver Nuggets’ Injury Report has seen no change. Unsurprisingly, Vlatko Cancar and Colin Gillespie remain the only players listed as ‘OUT’.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis stats during Game 2 of the Lakers-Nuggets clash

The 11-point loss in Game 1 of the Nuggets playoff clash helped the Lakers roster remember how their rivals remain the top contender for the NBA championship. During the post-game presser, LeBron James stated that his team cannot have much room for error. Their next game had to be different.

During Game 2, LeBron proceeded to deliver a score of 26 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists. The score was consistent with what the player had been scoring during the regular season, but it could have been higher if not for so many missed opportunities. While his three-pointers were at 3-6 and his free throws at 5-7, the 20x NBA All-Star’s field goals stood at 9-19. It marked the 2nd time in 12 games that his field goal percentage dropped below 50%.

Anthony Davis was the one who took the offensive lead with his 32 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists. Unlike his teammate, the center made 14-19 field goals to his name alongside 0-1 three-pointer and 4-4 free throws.

Despite the efforts by the duo, the Nuggets continued to keep pace with the Lakers. If Lebron hadn’t missed the shot made during the final 19 seconds of the game, or if Anthony Davis had somehow managed to block Jamal Murray’s game-winning shot, then the franchise wouldn’t have recorded their 10th consecutive loss against Nikola Jokic and Co. by just 2 points.