The Los Angeles Lakers will be without LeBron James once again tonight as they do battle against the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks.
This time around, LeBron has been ruled out due to a sore left groin, according to the Los Angeles Times' Tania Ganguli. The four-time MVP missed over a month earlier this season because of a strain to the same groin muscle.
The Lakers are already without Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, both of whom have been ruled out for the season.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1108030048454479872
LeBron, who hasn't missed the postseason since the 2004-05 season, recently missed a game against the Detroit Pistons due to "load management," but he suited up for the Lakers' Sunday matinee against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Though he posted a game-high 33 points, to go along with eight assists and six rebounds, James was rejected by Knicks forward Mario Hezonja on the final possession, as New York secured a 124-123 victory.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1107353013629272064
With 12 games remaining in the regular season, the Lakers are sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference with a record of 31-39. Though they're still mathematically alive for the playoffs, they'd have to make up 9.5 games to catch the eighth seeded Clippers. In other words, they're done.
As for the Bucks, they'll be without Giannis Antetokounmpo tonight due to a sprained right ankle he suffered during Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Milwaukee holds the best record in the NBA (52-18), and they're 2.5 games up on the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference.
