The Los Angeles Lakers could be on another mini-roll right now.
They scored a major win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, 116-111, on Friday, giving them three victories in a row and helping them rise to eighth place in the Western Conference while keeping them within striking distance of avoiding the play-in tournament.
Buy Lakers TicketsLos Angeles is 12-6 ever since the players acquired in the Russell Westbrook trade debuted, which is all the more impressive considering that LeBron James has played in just three of those contests.
He has been out with a right foot tendon injury for nearly a month, but the team issued some unexpected good news on Saturday when it upgraded him from out to doubtful for Sunday’s game versus the Chicago Bulls.
For the first time since injuring his right foot on Feb. 26, LeBron is listed as “doubtful” instead of “out” for Sunday’s game vs. Chicago. That’s a good sign he’s nearing a return.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 25, 2023
A few days ago, reports surfaced that the Lakers were hopeful James could return for the last few games of the regular season. They have eight contests remaining in their schedule right now, four of which will be away from Crypto.com Arena.
However, only two of their remaining eight games will be against teams that are currently over .500, giving them an immense opportunity to finish at least sixth in the West and build additional momentum.