The pressure is starting to build on the Los Angeles Lakers. They lost their third game in a row on Wednesday when they fell to the Chicago Bulls, 124-108, and on Thursday, they will visit the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves aren’t the generic opponent they may have been in past years. They not only hold the best record in the Western Conference, but they also rank first in defensive rating.
The Lakers finally had all their rotation players available on Wednesday. For them, this has been a season defined by one minor or moderate injury after another. But now, another ailment has come up, and this time, it is afflicting their most important player.
LeBron James will not play versus Minnesota due to ankle tendonitis. In addition, guard Gabe Vincent, who finally returned versus Chicago after being out for many weeks, will not play.
LeBron James will miss the second night of the Lakers’ back-to-back tonight in Minneapolis because of tendinitis in his left ankle, the team announced. Gabe Vincent, who played Wednesday for the first time in seven weeks, will also sit on Thursday to rest his left knee.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 21, 2023
Los Angeles will have Friday off before heading south to play the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have the second-best record in the West, on Saturday.
