PHOENIX — The Los Angeles Lakers are going to be without 21-time NBA All-Star LeBron James against the Phoenix Suns for their ESPN matchup on Sunday afternoon.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!James has missed Los Angeles’ last three games and is expected to miss at least another week, according to Shams Charania. The other half of the Lakers’ superstar duo, Luka Dončić, is probable to return against the Suns after sitting out Friday against the Denver Nuggets with a right ankle sprain. Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy) is out, Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) and Gabe Vincent (knee) are questionable.
Phoenix is 2-1 against the Lakers this season but has yet to play their revamped roster since the earth-shaking trade that sent Dončić to L.A. Their last matchup was a 127-100 NBA Emirates Cup Phoenix victory on Nov. 26.
Los Angeles (40-25) has lost three-straight games since James’ injury (four-straight if you include their 111-101 loss to Boston where he got hurt in the fourth quarter) and is 1½ games back of the 3-seed.
Phoenix (31-36) is coming off a 122-106 win against the Sacramento Kings and is looking to make a run at the 10th seed and final Western Conference play-in spot with 15 games remaining. The Suns will be without Grayson Allen (left foot strain) but athletic center Nick Richards (right ankle sprain) will return to the lineup after missing two consecutive games.
Suns big man returning for crucial matchup against 5-seed Lakers
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, and exclusive content. SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenoNBA, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
