The Los Angeles Lakers are coming into Sunday's clash with the New York Knicks having won four of their last five games. They are in the middle of a home stand that will carry them through the upcoming week. And it's possible they have reinforcements on the way. LeBron James was upgraded on the Lakers' injury report after missing the team's win against the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
LeBron James was officially listed as questionable on the Lakers' injury report for the team's game against the Knicks. While he has been dealing with foot problems all season, James suffered a hard fall last Thursday against the Nuggets and the team reported it as a left elbow injury.
In addition to James, backup center Maxi Kleber was also upgraded to questionable. Kleber also missed the Pacers game due to a back strain. Starting center Deandre Ayton, who was sidelined for the Pacers' win with a knee injury, no longer appeared on the injury report.
While the Lakers have managed to pick up some wins in recent games, they have struggled against teams with winning records. The Knicks pose such a challenge as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Having James potentially back in the lineup is a big boost.
He is in his unprecedented 23rd season in the NBA, and was selected for his 22nd consecutive All-Star appearance. He recently passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most field goals made in NBA history. However, one thing that will elude James this season is his continued pursuit of making the All-NBA team. He would fall short of the NBA's new minimum of 65 games played to be eligible for postseason honors.
James has appeared in 44 games, a little over 33 minutes per game. He averaged 21.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 50.4 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from the 3-point line and 74.5 percent from the free-throw line.
