LeBron out vs. 76ers with knee soreness
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James won't play in Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to left knee soreness, the team announced, per NBA.com's Mark Medina.
James has been rolling offensively, averaging 33.1 points over his last eight games. The 18-time All-Star needs just 15 points to become the second player ever with 37,000 career regular-season points.
The Lakers will likely lean more on Russell Westbrook to initiate the offense with James sidelined. Westbrook is averaging 21.1 points, 8.4 assists, and 8.2 rebounds in 18 games without James this season.
Los Angeles is currently 31-41 this season. The team is only one game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans for the final play-in spot.
Following Wednesday's contest, the Lakers' next game is Sunday against the Pelicans. James' status for that matchup isn't yet known.