After defeating the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers will have an opportunity to win their second consecutive game against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
Despite a relatively slow start to the season, the Nuggets have jumped up the standings and are now the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, thanks in large part to a nine-game winning streak.
The Nuggets have ended the Lakers’ championship hopes in each of the last two postseasons, so there is naturally some bad blood from Los Angeles’ perspective.
A day before the game, however, the Lakers made an announcement on rookie Bronny James that may be worth taking a look at for both fanbases.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9).
© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
In their latest injury report against the Nuggets, the Lakers announced that James will head back to the G League with the South Bay Lakers and be inactive against Denver.
Furthermore, the Lakers listed Luka Doncic, who missed the team’s victory over Portland, and LeBron James as probable to play against the Nuggets.
The Lakers selected James with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. In his rookie season, the USC alum has appeared in 17 games and is averaging 1.4 points. Though his stats are nothing to write home about, James played well in his last appearance for the Lakers, where he recorded nine points on 3-for-4 shooting and an assist against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 12.
It is unclear when James will make another appearance for the Lakers, but it will have to wait at least one more game.