After their crucial victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers now own sole possession of the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. Furthermore, the Lakers have now won two of their last three games and will have an opportunity to continue their winning trend when they take on the Houston Rockets on Monday.
The Rockets, who are 9-1 in their last 10 games, own the No. 2 seed in the West and are in a good spot with just a few weeks left in the regular season. Los Angeles is three games behind the Rockers in the standings, so this will prove to be a crucial game for them.
Ahead of their game against the Rockets, the Lakers provided an injury update on star forward LeBron James that will be worth monitoring.
Following a seven-game absence earlier this month after suffering a groin injury against the Boston Celtics, James has appeared in each of the Lakers’ last five games.
While he had not been on the Lakers’ last two injury reports, indicating the issue was behind him, James has popped up on the team’s injury report ahead of their game against the Rockets. The official listing is probable with a left groin strain.
The probable listing mean James is expected to play, but Jovan Buha of The Athletic noted on X that the NBA’s all-time leading scorer appeared to point to his groin area last game.
As the Lakers look to end the regular season on a high note, James’ presence is important. The four-time champion is crucial to the Lakers’ success, and they will only go as far as he will take them in the playoffs. Ahead of the Lakers’ big game against the Rockets, James’ status is an important one to monitor.
