Lakers LeBron James Out Versus Mavericks

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is officially out for Tuesday's game versus the Dallas Mavericks, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

Lakers’ LeBron James (ankle sprain) will miss tonight’s game vs. Mavericks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 29, 2022

James tweaked his left ankle early in the second quarter of their 116-108 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans last Sunday.

The 4-time NBA champion stayed in the game and did end up playing 42 minutes. But he said during the post-game press conference that ankle felt "horrible."

It seems like the Lakers' chances of making the playoffs is getting slimmer by the day. James' absence certainly doesn't help their cause.

There is no further detail on how long James will be out. But with eight games remaining on their schedule — six of which are against teams in the top-six of the West — reality seems to be setting in among Lakers fans that their beloved Purple and Gold could miss the postseason.

Tonight's contest against the Mavericks is essentially a must-win for Los Angeles as a loss would drop them to 11th in the West standings and out of the play-in tournament.

A loss would give the Lakers an identical 31-44 record with the San Antonio Spurs. But San Antonio owns the tie-breaker edge over Los Angeles.