LA Lakers Star Player Status Was Finalized Ahead of Bucks Game Due To…

Is LeBron James ducking the Milwaukee Bucks? That might be the narrative that some folks will ascribe to this scheduling quirk, by which the 6-foot-9 superstar Los Angeles Lakers forward will have missed both of his team’s two regular season games against the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed this season.

Per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, James was just downloaded from being doubtful to play tonight to officially being ruled out. The injury is the same one that has been pestering him for months, a left ankle peroneal tendinopathy:

James also sat out the last time LA faced off against the new-look Bucks, who’ve added Damian Lillard and subtracted Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen since the last time James played them. During the Lakers’ most recent, James-free encounter with Milwaukee two weeks ago, Los Angeles point guard D’Angelo Russell took over, helping guide Los Angeles to a 123-122 last-second home victory against a better team. Russell scored 44 points in the effort, including the go-ahead, game-clinching bucket, a floater with 5.9 seconds remaining.

James will be missed tonight. The 20-time All-Star, 39, has generally been more healthy this season than he had been in any of the last three prior seasons. In 62 games, he’s averaging 25.4 points on .530/.406/.751 shooting splits, 8.1 dimes, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks.

Every game is critical for the Lakers down the home stretch of the 2023-24 season, while the Bucks theoretically have a bit more wiggle room. Nothing is guaranteed for LA, currently the ninth seed with a 39-32 record. At the bottom of the Western Conference’s play-in tournament bracket, the Lakers are 2.5 contests above the 36-34 Golden State Warriors (the West’s No. 10 seed), and three games ahead of the No. 11-seeded Houston Rockets (36-35, winners of nine straight).

The Lakers are also just three games behind the sixth-seeded Sacramento Kings and seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks, who are both 42-29 on the year. Obviously for a team fielding not one but two 30+ year-old All-Stars, any additional rest would be ideal. If Los Angeles can avoid the play-in tournament entirely, the team might be all the better for it. There’s a chance that, yes, with a few more dropped games, the Lakers could miss the postseason entirely, for just the second time since the team acquired LeBron James.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, is locked into a postseason appearance. Currently the East’s No. 2 seed with a 46-25 record, the Bucks may trail the mighty 57-15 Boston Celtics by 10.5 games, but they’ve also created a bit of separation between themselves and the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks. The Bucks are 2.5 and three games ahead of those two clubs, respectively.

The club can afford to lose this home bout. But Milwaukee has gone 29-7 at the Fiserv Forum this year, and is healthier than the Lakers, who will also be missing key reserve Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Christian Wood. That’s why the Bucks are -9.5 point favorites to win tonight, per The Action Network. The fun tips off at 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

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Lakers’ LeBron James (ankle) out vs. Bucks

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been downgraded from doubtful to out for Tuesday’s game against the host Milwaukee Bucks due to a left ankle injury. It will mark the 10th game that James has missed this season, including both contests against Milwaukee. The Lakers recorded a 123-122 victory over the Bucks in Los Angeles on March 8. James, 39, is averaging 25.4 points, 8.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds in 62 games this season, his 20th in the NBA

Los Angeles (39-32) has won three in a row and five of its past seven games heading into the opener of a six-game road trip on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will not play against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday because of left ankle soreness, the team announced Tuesday.

James, who was downgraded after originally listed as doubtful, has been dealing with the ankle issue for months. He also missed a game against Milwaukee on March 8 in which Spencer Dinwiddie started in James’ place.

James played 38 minutes in the Lakers’ 150-145 win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, contributing 26 points and 10 assists.

The Bucks game is the start of a six-game road trip for the Lakers, who are No. 9 in the Western Conference with 11 games left to play. Los Angeles is three games behind the Phoenix Suns for the No. 6 spot in the conference, which it would need to secure to avoid the play-in tournament. The Lakers are 2.5 games ahead of the 10th-seeded Golden State Warriors.

Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell, who missed the Indiana game with a non-COVID illness, is not on the injury report against Milwaukee.

Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter is under investigation by the NBA following multiple instances of betting irregularities over the past several months, multiple sources told ESPN on Monday.

At issue are prop bets involving Porter from games on Jan. 26 and March 20, multiple sources told ESPN. An NBA spokesman told ESPN that the league is “looking into it.”

In the game on Jan. 26 against the LA Clippers, there was increased betting interest on the under for Porter props, which for the night were set at around 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. There was also an over/under for Porter’s made 3-pointers, which was 0.5.

That evening, Porter played just four minutes before leaving the game because of what the Raptors said was an aggravation of an eye injury he had suffered four days earlier against the Memphis Grizzlies. Porter did not score against the Clippers but had three rebounds and one assist, and he did not attempt a 3, meaning the under hit on all of the props.

The next day, as part of a daily report to users on betting results, DraftKings Sportsbook stated that the under on Porter’s 3-pointers was the biggest money winner for bettors of any NBA player props from games that evening.

Porter played 19 minutes two days later and scored 12 points with 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

On March 20 against the Sacramento Kings, Porter played just three minutes before exiting because of what the Raptors said was an illness and did not return. He did not score after attempting one shot and had two rebounds.

Sportsbooks had his over/unders set at around 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds.

The next day, DraftKings Sportsbook reported in a media release that Porter’s prop bets were the No. 1 moneymaker from the night in the NBA.

At least one other U.S. sportsbook detected unusual betting interest on the Porter props in the games in question. A sportsbook industry source told ESPN that multiple betting accounts attempted to bet large amounts, upward of $10,000 and $20,000, on Porter unders in the January game against the Clippers. Betting limits on NBA player props vary by sportsbook and customer but are typically around $1,000 to $2,000.

“People were trying to do whatever they could to bet Jontay Porter props [against the Clippers],” the source said. “And then, just a few days ago, the same thing. We had a bunch of people trying to bet under for more.”

Porter, the brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr., is on a two-way contract with the Raptors earning $415,000 this season.

He missed the Raptors’ game on Saturday against the Washington Wizards for personal reasons, according to the team. He was also out for Monday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets for personal reasons.

Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said he became aware of the investigation shortly before Monday night’s game.

“I never doubt injuries. I never doubt honesty from players,” Rajaković said. “Obviously, I’ve never had a situation like this before.”

He added that he had not discussed the matter with his team.

“I don’t know their reaction,” Rajaković said. “I just know nobody wants those kind of situations to happen to anybody, to any team. We’ve just got to deal with it.”

NBA players, along with all league employees, are prohibited from betting on any NBA events, including prop bets. Violations of the policy could include fines, suspensions and possible termination of contracts, among other actions.

Sports betting is monitored by dedicated personnel from each NBA team, and the league has a team of data scientists focused on sports betting anomalies and possible integrity issues and also works with third-party integrity monitors.

Porter made his NBA debut in 2021, playing 11 games with the Grizzlies. In college at Missouri, he tore an ACL before his sophomore season and tore it again and an MCL while rehabbing in early 2019. He went undrafted and didn’t play in the NBA over the previous two seasons. He signed with the Raptors in December.

Porter has played in 26 games this season, averaging 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 14 minutes a game.