MILWAUKEE — Lakers star forward LeBron James was downgraded from doubtful to out for Tuesday night’s road trip-starting game against the Milwaukee Bucks because of the left ankle peroneal tendinopathy that he’s dealt with for the past few months, the team announced pregame.
Tuesday was the 10th game he’s missed this season.
“It’s almost a go-as-tolerated, day-to-day thing,” coach Darvin Ham said pregame. “And obviously, he’s experiencing some discomfort. So just decided to shut him down and we’ll go from there. We’ll see how he feels [Wednesday morning].”
The Lakers entered Tuesday 5-4 in games without the four-time league MVP this season, including a 123-122 home win over the Bucks on March 8.
James, 39, played 38 minutes in Sunday’s home win over the Indiana Pacers, finishing with 26 points, 10 assists and five rebounds.
Ham said James experienced “significant discomfort” after Sunday’s game.
“It’s a day-to-day process,” James said of his ankle after Friday’s home win against the Philadelphia 76ers. “Every day I’m working on it, working at it, continue to make that priority No. 1 going down the stretch of the season.”
Tuesday was the first day of a back-to-back set, with the Lakers playing the Grizzlies at FedExForum in Memphis on Wednesday.
“It could be, 21 years in, just stepping one foot out of the bed is a factor,” Ham responded when asked whether back-to-back sets factor into James’ availability. “So he’s done a great job managing himself, our medical staff, all of that, all of us being on the same page understanding…he wants to compete.
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“He relishes these opportunities, these moments. We understand what’s at stake and he wants to be out there with his teammates. But physically, if he’s not able to, then we have to use some intelligence. And so we’re gonna manage it, treat it and again day by day see how he feels.”
After Wednesday, the Lakers play the Pacers again Friday in Indianapolis and the Brooklyn Nets in New York on Sunday before another back-to-back set against the Toronto Raptors (Tuesday) and Washington Wizards (Wednesday) to close the trip.
They’ll have five games left in the regular season after this trip, including hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers (April 6) and Minnesota Timberwolves (April 7) on back-to-back days in Los Angeles.
