Overview
- James is not listed on the official injury report for New Orleans, positioning this as his 12th consecutive appearance after an early-season absence.
- Austin Reaves (calf), Rui Hachimura (calf) and Adou Thiero (knee) have been ruled out for the Lakers.
- Gabe Vincent is listed as questionable after being sidelined since Dec. 14 with a back strain.
- Los Angeles enters on a two-game winning streak, while New Orleans seeks to halt a seven-game slide that has dropped it to the bottom of the West.
- This is the teams’ third meeting of the season after two Lakers wins in November, and it precedes a road game at the Spurs on the second night of the back-to-back.