Lakers Injury Report: LeBron James Ruled Out Monday Against Denver

The shorthanded Lakers won't have their star on Monday.

Well the Lakers got some bad news on Monday. At first, LeBron James was downgraded to questionable with left ankle soreness. Then, shortly after, he was officially ruled out for Monday night's game against Denver.

Los Angeles Lakers say LeBron James (left ankle soreness) is out tonight at Denver.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 9, 2023

The Lakers already had a tough matchup against them in the Nuggets, the current No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Now, it just got much, much tougher.

Without the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week in the lineup, the already shorthanded Lakers will have to work together to take down the best team in the West.

The Lakers did win without LeBron James last week, in an upset victory against the Miami Heat. It was a true team effort, led by Dennis Schröder, Thomas Bryant and Russell Westbrook. All three are expected to play tonight, so they'll need to have similar performances if the Lakers want a shot at the upset, and to extend their season-high winning streak to six games.

LeBron surprisingly played in the second game of a back-to-back this weekend against the Sacramento Kings. He looked fine in the game, and led the Lakers to another upset victory. But you have to wonder if his decision to play in that game ultimately led to him being sidelined in tonight's game.

On top of LeBron being out, the Lakers will also be without Anthony Davis (although they did get a good update on him on Monday), Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker IV and Troy Brown Jr.

The Lakers still haven't lost yet in 2023, but they're going to have their work cut out for them if they want to continue that trend on Monday.