James supplied 39 points (15-24 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 3-4 FT), seven rebounds, six assists and one steal across 35 minutes during Wednesday's 131-114 loss to the Grizzlies.
James embraced a more prominent role on offense with Anthony Davis (ankle) sidelined and both D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves struggling. This resulted in the star forward notching a season-high mark in the scoring column. James has scored at least 25 points in three of his last four appearances and seems to have left a minor "slump" behind -- he's averaging 28.7 points, 9.0 assists and 7.0 rebounds per game since the start of November while shooting 54.4 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from beyond the arc.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Flirts with triple-double
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James closed Monday's 115-103 loss to the Pistons with 20 points (7-16 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 5-5 FT), eight rebounds, 11 assists and two steals across 40 minutes.
James did everything he could Monday night, but the Lakers fell to 4-3 on the season. Anthony Davis suffered an ankle injury in the loss, but he's considered day-to-day. If Davis is unable to play Wednesday against Memphis, James will likely soak up a ton of usage for the Lakers.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Efficient despite loss Wednesday
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James finished Wednesday's 134-110 loss to the Cavaliers with 26 points (9-13 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 7-7 FT), six rebounds and three assists across 29 minutes.
The Lakers were outmatched in this loss Wednesday, but James delivered his most efficient performance of the season from a scoring perspective. He missed just four of his 13 shots from the field en route to clearing the 25-point mark for the second time in five games. James' production has been relatively modest in terms of his lofty standards. He's averaging 21.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per contest. That's still above average for league standards, but it speaks volumes about how dominant James has been this late into his playing days.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Good to go
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James (illness) is available for Wednesday's game against the Cavaliers, Khobi Price of The Orange County Register reports.
After an 11-point dud against the Suns on Monday, James said during his postgame interview that he's been dealing with a minor illness, but it's nothing that'll keep him out of game action. James posted 32 points (12-22 FG), 14 rebounds and 10 assists against the Kings on Saturday, but other than that triple-double, his production has been modest given his standards, as he is averaging 16.0 points, 6.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds in his other three appearances.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Dealing with illness
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James is considered probable for Wednesday's game against Cleveland due to an illness, Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet reports.
James joins D'Angelo Russell (back) as probable. James being regarded as probable, instead of questionable, with the afternoon introduction of an illness still puts him on track to play against Cleveland, potentially indicating merely a minor ailment.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Poor showing Monday
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James posted 11 points (3-14 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-6 FT), five rebounds, eight assists and one steal in 36 minutes during Monday's 109-105 loss to the Suns.
James drilled a three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to keep his streak of games with at least 10 points alive -- a run that has stretched to 1,226 contests. It's worth noting James has failed to reach the 20-point mark in two of his first four appearances this season, and while he's still an above-average fantasy performer by a wide margin, there might be signs of age finally catching up to him in the scoring department, especially now that he's the second option on offense behind Anthony Davis.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Continues run with triple-double
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James registered 32 points (12-22 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 14 rebounds, 10 assists and one block across 34 minutes during Saturday's 131-127 victory over the Kings.
James has scored at least 31 points in each of the Lakers' first three games. He's a big reason for the 3-0 record, and his continued production in the twilight of his career is nothing short of remarkable. Along with James, fantasy stock is on the rise for many LA playmakers given the team's red-hot start.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Playing both ends of back-to-back
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James said Friday he will play in Saturday's game against Sacramento, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports. He tallied 21 points (7-13 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 5-8 FT), eight assists and four rebounds across 35 minutes of Friday's 123-116 win over Phoenix.
James missed one game in five of the Lakers' 13 back-to-back sets in 2023-24, so it wasn't a guarantee the 39-year-old would suit up Saturday. However, James confirmed Friday night that he'd play and, per Buha, James said he intends to play in all 82 regular-season games this year, barring injury. After leading the Lakers in scoring last season, James has taken a back seat to Anthony Davis early on, averaging 18.5 points on 14.5 field goal attempts compared to Davis' 35.5 points on 20.5 attempts. Still, James' all-around game makes him a valuable fantasy asset.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Playing in season opener
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James (rest) isn't listed on the injury report ahead of Tuesday's game against the Timberwolves.
The Lakers gave James an entire week off to ensure he's fully rested for Opening Night, so he should be available to play a full complement of minutes Tuesday evening.
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Lakers' LeBron James: To sit again Friday
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James, who has already been ruled out of Thursday's preseason game against the Suns for rest purposes, will also be held out of Friday's preseason finale against the Warriors, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
The Lakers will give the star forward a full week off before the start of the regular season by shutting him down for the final two matchups of the preseason. James is set to begin his age-39 season Tuesday against the Timberwolves.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Healthy scratch Thursday
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James (rest) won't play in Thursday's preseason game against the Suns, Shane Young of Forbes.com reports.
James was absent from the team's morning shootaround earlier in the day, so it appears he's simply getting a full day off. He'll have one more chance to play during the preseason against the Warriors on Friday before the Lakers open the regular season at home versus the Timberwolves.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Absent from shootaround
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James didn't participate in shootaround ahead of Thursday's preseason game versus the Suns, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
James hasn't suffered any injury, but his absence from shootaround could indicate the Lakers will hold him out of Thursday's preseason contest. Cam Reddish and Dalton Knecht would likely receive increased playing time if James ultimately doesn't suit up.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Leading scorer Sunday
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James finished Sunday's 124-118 preseason loss to the Suns with 19 points (8-12 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT), five rebounds, four assists and two blocks across 16 minutes.
James and Anthony Davis were the only Lakers starters to play less than 20 minutes Sunday, but the former still managed to lead the team in points. James' playing time during the preseason will likely be more than he saw Sunday. Los Angeles' next exhibition contest will be against Milwaukee on Thursday.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Officially available Sunday
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James (rest) will play in Sunday's preseason game against the Suns, Mark Medina of NBA.com reports.
James will see his first preseason run Sunday after sitting out the opener Friday. James will likely see limited time during the exhibition slate as the team evaluates secondary players and potential rotations.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Plans to play Sunday
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James (rest) is expected to play Sunday against the Suns, Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet reports.
This is probably a decision that will be made Sunday before the game, but all signs point to James being available for Sunday's contest against the Suns. That game in Palm Springs will be the Lakers' second preseason contest following Friday's loss to the Timberwolves. James is set to play in his 22nd season in the NBA.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Won't play Friday
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James (rest) will be held out of Friday's preseason opener versus the Timberwolves, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
James will likely be under a minutes restriction throughout the preseason, giving coach JJ Redick a chance to further evaluate the second unit of Dalton Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt and Cam Reddish (undisclosed/soreness). Redick said Thursday that both James and Anthony Davis would play at some point this weekend, likely leaving James to make his preseason debut Sunday against the Suns.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Game-high 10 assists for gold
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James tallied 14 points (6-10 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 10 assists, six rebounds, two steals and one block across 32 minutes in Team USA's 98-87 win over France in the gold medal game of the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
James racked up a game-high 10 assists while leading Team USA past France for gold. The squad survived a late comeback bid by France and Victor Wembanyama. The 39-year-old James served as one of Team USA's top options throughout the Olympics, as the superstar averaged 14.2 points, 8.5 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals across 24.3 minutes per game in six Olympic matchups.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Helps push USA to gold medal game
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James accumulated 16 points (6-9 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 12 rebounds, 10 assists and one steal in 32 minutes during Thursday's 95-91 semifinal victory over Serbia.
James' triple-double was massive in helping Team USA pull off a comeback win from 17 points down. Stephen Curry stole the show with 36 points, and Joel Embiid was the only other player with double-digit points (19). The team is set to face France on Saturday in the gold medal game.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Good to go in semifinals
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James (face) will start Thursday's semifinal matchup against Serbia.
As expected, James won't let a few stitches stop him from playing against Nikola Jokic and Serbia in the Olympic semifinal matchup. The winner of Thursday's game will play France in hope of winning a gold medal.
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Lakers' LeBron James: Gets stitches after early exit
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James took an inadvertent elbow to his face during the third quarter of Tuesday's quarterfinal win over Brazil and needed four stitches before returning to Team USA's bench in the fourth quarter, Karl Rasmussen of SI.com reports.
James never checked back into the game after the incident, but he said following the win that he's okay, per Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com. James finished the contest with 12 points, nine assists, three rebounds and three steals in 17 minutes. The 39-year-old superstar continues to be one of Team USA's best all-around players, and he can be considered probable for Thursday's semifinal showdown versus Serbia.