DALLAS — LeBron James and Anthony Davis will both sit out Tuesday against the Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel said.
James has been struggling with a sprained left ankle since Sunday and Davis has not played since February 16 when he sprained his right metatarsal.
LA, clinging to a half-game lead over the No. 11 San Antonio Spurs for the final spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament, will enter the Mavs’ crucial matchup without their stars.
“We identified just before that Pelicans game [Sunday] that these are our playoff games,” Vogel said. “The playoffs for other teams start when the regular season proper ends, but right now every game matters to us, so there is a playoff series element in those final games.
“And you start talking about what the mindset is like. The intensity is a notch up. The focus has to be a notch up. Every possession counts. No technicians. No game delay. You have to get every loose ball. You have to lead Do any reporting that you can control, all of these things that go into a playoff series, we talk about that with our guys in the group.
Vogel said both players would be reevaluated Thursday to determine if they can play the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.
The Lakers will field their 32nd different starting lineup of the season against Dallas, with Austin Reaves, Stanley Johnson, Dwight Howard, Malik Monk and Russell Westbrook in the top five.