The Los Angeles Lakers just wrapped up a brutal stretch where they had three sets of back-to-backs and had to play six games in eight days. Towards the end of it, their tired legs caught up to them as they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks by 29 points at home in a game where they rested most of their key starters.
What made this stretch even more difficult was the fact that they were short-handed throughout. LeBron James missed the last six with a groin injury, and Rui Hachimura has missed the last ten with a knee issue. While the Lakers survived this stretch by going 3-3, they can't wait to have their two starting forwards back.
Fortunately for Lakers fans, they finally got a positive injury update. Lakers insider Jovan Buha reported that the team is listing both James and Hachimura as questionable for Saturday's game against the Chicago Bulls.
Lakers’ injury report vs. Chicago tomorrow:
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 22, 2025
— LeBron James and Rui Hachimura are upgraded to questionable.
— Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jarred Vanderbilt are probable.
— Gabe Vincent downgraded to questionable. pic.twitter.com/WjFo6ulobE
LeBron James and Rui Hachimura About to Return for the Lakers
Earlier in the week, head coach JJ Redick had said that he was "hopeful" that both players would suit up against Chicago. Upgrading them to questionable for the first time during this stretch is an excellent sign that they are on track to return.
This comes at the perfect time for the Lakers. At 43-26, the Lakers are sitting in third place in the Western Conference. They are only one game ahead of the fifth-seeded Grizzlies and two games behind the No. 2 seed, Rockets. After a four-game stretch against relatively weaker Eastern Conference opponents, the Lakers take on Memphis, Houston, and Golden State in the same week.
Having their full complement of players healthy and clicking before those crucial games for playoff seeding will be exceedingly important.