LeBron James and Anthony Davis were both in the starting lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday despite being listed as questionable for the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.
James did not play in Sunday’s 128-104 loss to the Denver Nuggets because of a thoracic muscle strain, the first game he missed this season.
Davis has what the team described as right knee soreness. The 6-foot-10-inch forward tweaked his right knee during Sunday’s game.
The Lakers were playing on Christmas Day for the 21st consecutive year and seeking to increase their NBA-record 23 Christmas Day victories, one more than the New York Knicks, who were idle Wednesday.
The Lakers have played on Christmas 46 times, second-most in NBA history, behind the Knicks, who have played on Christmas 53 times.
The last time the Lakers didn’t play on Christmas was in 1998 when the owners’ lockout of the players delayed the start of the season until February.
The Lakers’ 127-101 victory at Golden State last Christmas was their third in their last nine Christmas Day games.
This was the Clippers’ first Christmas Day game since 2016 and 16th in their 50 seasons. They are 6-9 on Christmas Day.
The Lakers (24-6) entered the game on a season-high three-game losing streak. They have the NBA’s second-best record behind the 27-5 Milwaukee Bucks.
“It’s the next game in front of us which makes it the most important game of the year, which is how we’ve approached every game all season,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Monday. “Aside from that, that’s really it.”
The Clippers (22-10) have lost three of their last five games. They have not reported any injuries.
The game is a rematch of the Clippers’ 112-102 victory Oct. 22 in the season opener for both teams. Clippers six-time all-star forward Paul George missed that game because of a shoulder injury.