Is LeBron James Playing Tonight? (Latest Injury Updates and News for Lakers vs. Knicks on Jan. 31)

Is LeBron James Playing Tonight? (Latest Injury Updates and News for Lakers vs. Knicks on Jan. 31)

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The Los Angeles Lakers are back in action Tuesday night as they face the New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET. One player's status to keep an eye on ahead of tip-off is LeBron James, who missed LA's last game with left ankle soreness.

LeBron James Injury Update (1/31/2023)

The Lakers will get their star player back on the court as it has been reported that James will play at Madison Square Garden tonight. The four-time NBA MVP was experiencing left ankle soreness after Saturday's loss to the Boston Celtics, but only needed one rest day to get back into playing shape.

LA struggled to keep up in a 121-104 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday and the return of James should help out tremendously. The 38-year-old All-Star is averaging 30.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists through 40 games played. He is also shooting a reliable 50.7% from the floor this year.

The good news keeps on coming for the Lakers as Anthony Davis will also play tonight after missing Monday's game as part of his injury management. Davis recently returned from a bone spur and stress reaction in is foot. He has tallied 37 points and 22 rebounds in the Lakers' past two contests.

LeBron James Fantasy Outlook and Prop Bets Today

LeBron James is listed with over/unders of 28.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists on Tuesday, according to FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA odds. I lean toward backing James' three-pointer prop of over 2.5 makes at -102 odds, though. He has drained 16 of his 32 shots from beyond the arc over his last three games and the Knicks allow the second-most three-pointers per game in the NBA (13.3).

James is among the top options on the FanDuel DFS slate tonight, checking in with the third-most expensive price tag overall ($10,700). It makes sense as he is averaging an impressive 52.6 FanDuel fantasy points per game and is facing a Knicks defense that gives up the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards. Anchoring your lineup with James is a dependable startegy on Tuesday.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.