In the last few games, the Lakers have been a bit beaten up. LeBron James returned to action for their 142-130 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday after missing three straight games due to an elbow soreness, arthritis in his left foot and a hip contusion. Marcus Smart, Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber did not play in that competition due to various ailments.
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James will be available again on Saturday and Smart has been cleared to return. Hayes is listed as probable, but Kleber will not play.
Smart’s return on Saturday will be especially important, as he will likely protect Nuggets All-Star Jamal Murray for quite some time. Murray scored 28 points as Denver defeated the Lakers 120–113 on March 5, but on January 20, with the help of Smart, Murray was 1 of 6 from the field and scored two points in the second half in a 115–107 Lakers victory.Denver has had its own injury problems lately, and although forward Aaron Gordon did not play in their 136-131 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, he is listed as probable for Saturday, as is Murray. Key reserve forward Peyton Watson will remain out with a hamstring strain.
Denver has won four of its last six games. Murray is having the best year of his career in terms of scoring, and superstar center Nikola Jokić is averaging a triple-double, just as he did last season.
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This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers reveal injury report for Saturday’s matchup against Nuggets