LeBron James plays, as expected, on Monday against the Suns
Second night in a row for Los Angeles Lakers, All-Star LeBron James will face the Phoenix Suns on Monday. James, who has yet to play back-to-back games, will be responsible for the Lakers’ rematch, as head coach JJ Redick talked about taking a precautionary approach to LeBron’s 23rd NBA season.
James made his season debut in a 140-126 win against the Utah Jazz in November. With four games down, so far, James will play in his first game since last Friday’s 129-119 win against the Dallas Mavericks, as expected, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
“The Lakers’ LeBron James has been ruled out of the injury report and will play tonight against Phoenix,” Stein said.
While James is back on the floor, veteran Marcus Smart is sidelined with a lower back injury that the Lakers are monitoring closely. After a career-high 25 points and six rebounds in a 135-118 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA Cup, James followed up with 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds in a 129-119 win over the Dallas Mavericks in what was LeBron’s final game.
JJ Redick reveals the reality of the Lakers with LeBron James, back-to-back
That’s what Lakers head coach JJ Redick says the LeBron James back-to-back streak will continue as the veteran tackles the rigors of an 82-game NBA regular season. For a team with deep playoff aspirations, the Lakers will not take any chances with James’ health, he said, per Broderick Turner of the LA Times.
“Hopefully we can build him up so he can play back-to-back,” Redick said. “That’s the goal. But you’re right. Every back-to-back game is case-by-case. That’s the reality of the NBA right now. But we want him to be able to play back-to-back. And he does. So we’re going to work on that.”
The Lakers will look to extend their winning streak to eight against the Suns on Monday.
2025-12-01 21:37:00
