Lakers’ LeBron James Could Miss Action vs Detroit Pistons

When the Detroit Pistons square off against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, the home team could miss the superstar forward, LeBron James.

According to the official NBA injury report, James is considering an “injury management” absence. Lately, James has been dealing with concerns regarding his foot. He recently missed two games, although his reason for absence was personal.

Prior to his first absence, James appeared in the Lakers’ first 23 games of the season. After a 43-minute shift in a loss against the Atlanta Hawks, James sat out against the Portland Trail Blazers. He stayed off the court for the following matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

On December 15, LeBron returned to action to face the Memphis Grizzlies. He scored 18 points in 34 minutes, helping the Lakers take down the Grizzlies.

Over the next two games, LeBron appeared on the court for 34 minutes in each matchup. At this point, the Lakers are on a three-game win streak since he’s been back in action. Clearly, the presence of the superstar forward makes a big difference for LA.

When the Pistons faced the Lakers earlier this year, LeBron James checked in for 40 minutes. He scored 20 points while coming down with eight rebounds and dishing out 11 assists.

Even with LeBron on the court, the Pistons handled business and picked up an impressive 12-point victory over the Lakers, who were on quite the roll to start the season.

At this stage in the year, the Lakers are 16-12, ranking sixth in the Western Conference. When playing at home, they have won nine out of 12 games. Monday marks the first and only time the Pistons will pay the Lakers a visit this year.

LeBron James is likely a game-time decision for the matchup, which tips at 10:30 PM ET.