Lakers Injury Report: LA Will Be Without Star Player in Crucial Matchup Against Clippers

The Lakers will be without one of their best players.

Ahead of the Lakers' marquee matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night, LeBron James has been ruled out with an ankle injury, per Shams Charania. 

Lakers say LeBron James (ankle) is out vs. Clippers on Tuesday.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 23, 2024

This is a massive loss for the Lakers for obvious reasons, as the Clippers have been on a tear as of late while the Lakers are still looking to find their footing. 

Without James, things are far worse, leaving Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and D'Angelo Russell to lead the charge against arguably the hottest team in the league. 

Winners of 8 of their last 10, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George's squad are coming off of a major come-from-behind victory over the same Brooklyn Nets team that dismantled the Lakers on Friday night. 

For the Lakers, expect Rui Hachimura to draw the start in James' place, while Taurean Prince returns to the starting lineup assuming he's back from the injury that kept him out of Sunday's game. 

Without James, though, L.A. stands next to no chance. The Clippers are too deep with too much star power, creating a big deficit for Darvin Ham's squad that seems almost impossible to make up without James.