LeBron James will miss Monday’s game against the Spurs with “significant” soreness in his left knee, Lakers coach Frank Vogel announced prior to tip-off.
“With the heavy load that he’s carrying for us this year, we know that it’s always a possibility,” Vogel said of James sitting out. “I think that’s why we continue to list him as questionable to see how it’s responding over the 48 hours between games. And this is just one of those days where it was significant enough to hold him out.”
James, 37, missed five games because of knee soreness from late January until early February. However, he hasn’t missed a start since.
James is fresh off a 56-point outburst against the Warriors on Saturday night. He played 39 minutes in Los Angeles’s 124–116 win and a lengthy travel day on Sunday reportedly did not help with recovery time, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Vogel said the Lakers are “hopeful” that James will be able to return Wednesday against the Rockets.
James has been the sole bright spot for a struggling Lakers team this season. In his 19th year in the league, he’s averaging 29.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 36.8 minutes per game.
Los Angeles (28–35) is currently ninth in the Western Conference.
