Lakers make final decision on LeBron James vs Thunder
Lakers make final decision on LeBron James vs Thunder originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Los Angeles Lakers will be without their superstar forward, LeBron James, for Tuesday's match against the Oklahoma City Thunder .
James will miss Tuesday's contest due to a left foot injury. The Athletic's Dan Woike shared the news via X. Lakers rule out LeBron James tonight against the OKC Thunder — Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 7, 2026 James will miss his 22nd game of the season.
The 41-year-old superstar was initially questionable for the contest due to left foot injury management. The Lakers will now be without three of their best players in Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and James against the best team in the league. The last time these two teams met, the Lakers were thoroughly outplayed, with the Thunder controlling the game even while Los Angeles had its three top players available in the first half.
Lakers’ Seeding Battle Intensifies Amid Injury Concerns Now, the Lakers find themselves shorthanded at the worst possible time with the NBA playoffs set to begin next Saturday. While there is some optimism that the extra time will help them get healthier, it appears unlikely that Doncic or Reaves will be ready to return, at least for the first round. The first round of the playoffs is the only thing guaranteed for the Lakers at this point.
The only question that remains is which seed they will be? They are currently tied with the Denver Nuggets for the three seed. The Lakers could fall as low as the fifth seed when the season concludes.