James closed with 22 points (9-21 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 3-6 FT), seven rebounds, six assists and two steals across 40 minutes during Wednesday's 103-96 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 5 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The home crowd might have seen James' last appearance in a Laker uniform Tuesday evening, as the rumors about his retirement dominated the post-game conversation. James faced the same scrutiny last season after the Lakers fell to the Nuggets, but he left little doubt about his return once Bronny James was added to the Lakers' roster. With his dream of playing alongside his son satisfied, James may decide to hang it up, but it's an open question for the time being.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Teases triple-double Sunday
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James ended Sunday's 116-113 loss to Minnesota in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs with 27 points (5-9 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 15-18 FT), 12 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and three steals across 46 minutes.
The future Hall of Famer nearly produced his 29th career playoff triple-double, and his first since the 2019-20 postseason. James had to settle for his third straight double-double, and he's averaging 26.3 points, 9.5 boards, 5.5 assists, 2.3 threes, 2.3 blocks and 2.0 steals through the first four games of the series. James is now third on the NBA's all-time list in playoff double-doubles with 144, behind only Tim Duncan (164) and Magic Johnson (157).
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Lakers' LeBron James: Vintage performance not enough
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James produced 38 points (13-21 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 7-10 FT), 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals across 41 minutes during Friday's 116-104 loss to Minnesota in Game 3 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
James put the Lakers on his back, doing a lot more of the dirty work due to the fact Luka Doncic was feeling under the weather. While Doncic still managed to play 40 minutes, he was clearly bothered, meaning James had to take control of the team. Despite scoring a game-high 38 points, it was not enough, as the Lakers came up short and fell behind 2-1 in the series.
James amassed 21 points (8-19 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 11 rebounds, seven assists, one block and one steal over 40 minutes during Tuesday's 94-85 win over the Timberwolves in Game 2 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The future Hall of Famer came within a handful of dimes of recording his 29th career playoff triple-double, instead settling for his 142nd double-double. James has let Luka Doncic take the lead so far this postseason for the Lakers, but he's still delivered strong numbers, averaging 20.0 points, 8.0 boards, 5.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, 1.5 steals and 1.0 threes through two games.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Across the board effort Saturday
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James supplied 19 points (8-18 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals across 36 minutes during Saturday's 117-95 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 1 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
After a slow start, James managed to get things going in the right direction, although it was in a losing effort. With that said, the Timberwolves did a great job of limiting James, who, along with Austin Reaves, struggled to build any real momentum. Game 2 will be in Los Angeles on Tuesday, with James hoping to reverse the narrative before the series heads to Minnesota.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Cleared to play Saturday
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James (hip) is available for Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Saturday, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reports.
James was tagged as probable for Saturday's playoff opener due to a left hip flexor strain, but he's been given the green light to play. Since the All-Star break, James averaged 24.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.3 steals over 35.6 minutes per game while connecting on 50.8 percent of his field-goal attempts.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Officially listed as probable
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James is probable for Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Saturday due to a left hip flexor strain.
James is expected to be available for the series opener against the Timberwolves, but the probable tag comes with some caution about whether the star forward will be 100 percent. James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game in 70 regular-season contests, shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Expected to play Saturday
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James (groin) didn't play in the regular-season finale but is expected to be ready for Saturday's game against the Timberwolves.
James dealt with some injury issues during the second half of the 2024-25 regular season but still managed to play 70 games for the Lakers. The four-time NBA champion averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game, shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Limited to 22 minutes Friday
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James finished with 14 points (6-11 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds, eight assists and one steal in 22 minutes during Friday's 140-109 win over the Rockets.
James logged one of his lowest minutes totals of the season, though that was mainly due to the blowout nature of the game, as the Lakers have locked up a playoff berth and will need James at his best to make a deep playoff run. James' numbers in recent weeks have been down a bit, though that can be explained by the high usage rate of Luka Doncic and the rise of Austin Reaves as a reliable offensive weapon. James is averaging 21.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game over his last 10 appearances.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Cleared to play Houston
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James (groin) is available for Friday's game against the Rockets, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.
James continues to work through a groin strain that caused him to miss seven games in March, and he's been given the green light to play in Friday's contest. James has played in the Lakers' last 11 games and has averaged 22.4 points, 6.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals over 36.3 minutes per game over that span.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Likely to play vs. Houston
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James (groin) has been listed as probable for Friday's game against the Rockets, Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com reports.
James is trending toward being on the floor Friday despite managing his groin injury. The Lakers appear to be going for the win against Houston, with Maxi Kleber (foot) being the only player ruled out for the game as of Thursday.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Scores 27 points in victory
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James chipped in 27 points (11-20 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 5-6 FT), seven rebounds, three assists and one steal across 36 minutes during Wednesday's 112-97 win over the Mavericks.
James' three assists Wednesday matched a season low, but he scored at least 20 points for the fourth time in his last five outings. Over his last 11 games following an extended absence with a groin strain, the future Hall of Famer has averaged 22.4 points, 6.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 three-pointers in 36.3 minutes.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Good to go against OKC
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James (groin) is available for Tuesday's game versus the Thunder, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.
James has been upgraded from probable to available Tuesday despite dealing with a left groin strain. The superstar forward tallied 19 points, seven assists, three rebounds and one steal in 34 minutes during the Lakers' previous matchup with Oklahoma City on Sunday.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Upgraded to probable
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James has been upgraded to probable for Tuesday's game against the Thunder due to a left groin strain, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.
Initially listed as questionable to play Tuesday, James is now expected to play on the front end of the Lakers' back-to-back set. Confirmation on the superstar forward's status should come closer to tipoff, but fantasy managers can anticipate having him available against Oklahoma City. Over his last nine contests, James has averaged 21.2 points, 7.3 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 36.4 minutes.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Deemed questionable for Tuesday
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James is questionable for Tuesday's game against the Thunder due to a groin strain, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.
The Lakers could opt to hold James out of action Tuesday, with the contest being the first half of a back-to-back set. Luka Doncic (groin) and Austin Reaves (ankle) are also questionable, leaving the team in serious danger of missing each of their top three scoring options. James has averaged 21.2 points, 7.3 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 36.4 minutes across his last nine games.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Good to go Sunday
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James (groin) is available for Sunday's game against the Thunder, NBA reporter Marc Stein reports.
The Lakers continue to list James on the injury report due to a left groin strain, though he hasn't missed a game since March 20. Over his last five outings, the superstar has averaged 23.6 points, 8.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 three-pointers and 2.0 steals across 37.4 minutes per contest.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Likely to play vs. OKC
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James (groin) has been listed as probable for Sunday's game against the Thunder, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.
After coming two assists shy of a double-double in Friday's game against the Pelicans, James is trending toward playing Sunday in Oklahoma City despite managing a groin injury. The superstar forward has averaged 21.5 points. 6.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor and 32.4 percent from beyond the arc over his last eight games.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Pours in 27 points
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James produced 27 points (9-17 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 7-8 FT), eight assists and two steals over 33 minutes during Friday's 124-108 victory over the Pelicans.
After a tepid week by James's standards, he followed up a solid 33-point effort against the Warriors with another high total. Although James deserves some time off, the Lakers are trying to fend off the Nuggets and Warriors to keep the third seed. It may not matter much if the Lakers drop a few games over the next week, but their record over the next couple of games will determine James' status before the playoffs.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Will suit up Friday
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James (groin) is available for Friday's game against the Pelicans, Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com reports.
James has been a mainstay on the injury report of late due to a left groin strain, though he'll suit up in his eighth consecutive contest Friday. Over his last seven outings, the superstar has averaged 20.7 points, 7.3 assists, 7.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 three-pointers across 37.3 minutes per contest.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Probable to face New Orleans
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James (groin) is probable for Friday's game against the Pelicans, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
James has been a mainstay on the injury report due to the left groin strain, though he's expected to suit up for his eighth consecutive contest Friday. The superstar delivered an impressive performance in the first half of the club's back-to-back set during Thursday's 123-116 loss to the Warriors, recording 33 points (10-15 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 8-9 FT), nine assists, five rebounds, one block and one steal across 40 minutes. James has averaged 20.8 points, 8.0 assists, 7.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 1.8 three-pointers and 0.8 blocks across 38.4 minutes per game in his last five outings.
