LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers continues to play during the first half timeout against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on January 30, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP
LeBron James has shown few signs of aging despite being a month past his 38th birthday and playing in his 20th NBA season.
But Father’s Time could prevent him from going to court Tuesday night, when the James’ Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled to visit the New York Knicks in the first game of the season between the two-coastal rivals.
The Lakers will complete a back-to-back game in New York after a 121-104 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. The Knicks haven’t played since Saturday night, when they lost 122-115 to hosts the Nets.
James sat out Monday’s Los Angeles game with a left foot/ankle injury. Lakers coach Darvin Ham said Monday afternoon that the pain in James’ leg was “really serious” and that the 18-time All-Star champion would be reevaluated on Tuesday.
James has missed 11 games this season due to multiple injuries but is averaging 30.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game – just short of his single-season best in each category. He averaged 31.4 points while at Cleveland in 2005-06 and scored 8.6 rebounds per game for the Cavaliers in both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.
In his most recent game, James hit a brace on Saturday and finished with 41 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the Lakers’ 125-121 extra-time loss to the Boston Celtics. His 74th career 40-point attempt saw James overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by 117 points to become the most in NBA history.
“When you take it off, you just look at his absolute years and production – I’m not sure we’ll see that again,” said Nets coach Jacque Vaughn. Vaughn of the Nets said Monday.
One of James’ teammates made history on his own Monday when Russell Westbrook overtook Hall of Famer Gary Payton to take 10th place on the NBA’s all-time assists list. Westbrook currently has 8,972 assists after 10 at Brooklyn. Payton ended up with 8,966.
“In the NBA, I never dreamed of being in this position, nor did I reach the level of some of the greats,” Westbrook said. “I’m really grateful and grateful for the opportunity to continue to play at the highest level and I don’t take it for granted.”
In addition to playing without James on Monday, the Lakers are missing Anthony Davis (right foot maintenance). Los Angeles has lost 2 1/2 games to 10th-placed Utah Jazz in the Western Conference and 3 1/2 games behind the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks, who are drawing virtual for fifth place – and two play-offs- off final guaranteed score – in the Western Conference.
The Knicks will be looking to break out of their latest valley in what has become the roller coaster of a season. The loss to the Nets was New York’s fifth of seven games, the team dropping at least 115 points in six of them.
The Knicks lead their current slide by winning seven of eight games between December 31 and January 15, a period in which they have never been allowed to score more than 114 points. In December, New York went on an eight-game winning streak before going through a five-loss streak.
Add it all in and the Knicks are trying to avoid the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. They entered Tuesday in seventh place – one game behind the Miami Heat and 3 1/2 ahead of 11th place Indiana Pacers – and are looking to rediscover their defensive form in the outer ring.
New York is allowing opponents to shoot 34.9% from 3-point, the fifth-best defensive stat in the NBA, but the Knicks allowed the Nets to shoot 55% (22 out of 40) from long range on Saturday.
“I just think we’re a step late and we’re not ready to start,” Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson said Saturday night. “Just one step makes all the difference. If we get there one step faster, maybe the hard shots won’t succeed.”
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