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This week, the Los Angeles Lakers are preparing for a tough slate, with road matchups against the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers on their upcoming schedule. According to a report from ESPN Senior Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, they will have to prepare for those games without star forward LeBron James.
Lakers star LeBron James is expected to miss back-to back games on Thursday (Clippers) and Friday (Blazers) to rest his right ankle, sources tell ESPN. James will proceed cautiously with ankle injury as playoffs approach.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 4, 2021
The Lakers’ plan is to ease James back into the rotation after he missed 20 consecutive games from Mar. 21 to Apr. 28. On the year, the reigning NBA Finals Most Valuable Player is averaging 25.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists.
Friday’s game between the Lakers and Blazers could have major playoff implications, given the current Western Conference standings. The Lakers (37-28) currently own the No. 5 seed, but the Dallas Mavericks (36-28) and Blazers (36-29) remain in hot pursuit. Portland holds the tiebreaker over the Mavericks, and could win the season series against the Lakers as well this weekend.