If the Los Angeles Lakers are to extend their current win-streak to eight games, they will have to get their first win of the season without LeBron James.
After delivering a monstrous 35 point, 16 rebound and seven assist performance in a dominant road win over the Mavericks, the illness that James played through a few times this week will keep him out of Saturday night’s showdown against Chris Paul and the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to The Athletic/Stadium’s Shams Charania.
The Lakers are 0-1 this season without LeBron on the floor, a 24-point loss to the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 23. And in that game, the Lakers also had Anthony Davis. Davis missed Friday night’s game as he remains in pain from a nasty fall on Tuesday and while the Lakers consider him day-to-day, it’s unlikely we see Davis tonight.
If Davis and LeBron are both out, the Lakers will have to play through Kyle Kuzma offensively. Without the NBA leader in assist, this will also put more stress on the remaining Lakers guards such as Rajon Rondo, Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso.
