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LeBron James will not play tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. The game is on the second night of a back-to-back for the LA Lakers. After the Lakers' 127-125 defeat in Dallas last night, LeBron said that he would test himself out and decide his status for the Spurs clash. He was a game-time decision and the Lakers have ruled him out.
LeBron looked solid in his last game. The four-time MVP carried over his 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament form into the Mavs' game, bagging 33 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and three steals, shooting 51.9%.
The Lakers lost despite his best efforts, as the Mavericks' scorching 3-point shooting was unstoppable. Dallas made 21 3-pointers, canceling the Lakers' 15-of-29 performance from deep to seal the win.
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What happened to LeBron James?
LeBron James didn't sustain any injury against the Dallas Mavericks. However, the LA Lakers superstar has been playing through one for over a month. James endured a calf contusion in his left leg in the 122-119 Nov. 10 game against the Phoenix Suns.
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He missed the following game but has been active in every game since. James has played in 23 of the Lakers' 24 games, averaging 25.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists, shooting on 55/41/71 splits.
His potential absence against the Spurs could be due to workload management, as it's the second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers star has played in high-intensity games lately in the NBA In-Season tournament knockouts.
To top that, James logged 40 minutes in the loss to the Mavericks. The 38-year-old isn't facing limitations for resting due to the NBA's new participation policies. James' age, career games and minutes factor in keeping the Lakers out of trouble if they opt to rest him.
LeBron James stats vs San Antonio Spurs
LeBron James has played 41 games against the Spurs. He has averaged 27.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.3 steals against Gregg Popovich's team, shooting 50.2%. James has a 22-19 win-loss record against San Antonio. He's yet to face them this season.
LA Lakers resting LeBron James is ideal
James resting tonight against the San Antonio Spurs is ideal.
The LA Lakers initially intended to play the 38-year-old on a minute restriction to start the season. But that plan lasted a game at best, which happened to be the opening night clash against the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers have played LeBron freely since. He's averaging 33.7 minutes per game. The Lakers have limited his minutes in blowout wins or losses, which sees his minutes per game down by two minutes compared to last season.
Regardless, the Lakers should keep him out to ensure that he's getting timely nights off after missing just one game so far. Anthony Davis is also dealing with a nagging injury, so the Lakers can't have LeBron aggravate his, too.
Moreover, the 3-19 Spurs are on a 17-game skid, so it shouldn't be an uphill task for the Lakers to secure a win without LeBron James.
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