Lakers' LeBron James Out vs. Jazz with Ankle Injury; Will Miss 2nd Straight Game

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is going to miss his second straight game with a sprained ankle. 

The Lakers have listed James as out for Thursday's game at the Utah Jazz. 

James sat out the Lakers' blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday because of a sprained ankle. He suffered the injury in the team's previous game, an eight-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Despite Los Angeles' struggles, this season has been a massive offensive resurgence for James. The 18-time All-Star is averaging a career-best 30.1 points per game as well as 8.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game in 55 starts. He ranks first in the NBA in scoring.

Unfortunately, James' gaudy numbers have not resulted in success for the Lakers. Los Angeles is currently tied with the San Antonio Spurs for 10th in the Western Conference with a 31-44 record. 

The Lakers would be out of the play-in tournament if the season ended today because they would lose a tiebreaker to the Spurs, who have an identical record. 

It also hasn't helped that Los Angeles hasn't been able deploy a fully healthy roster. James has had multiple absences this season caused by issues to his abdomen and knee. The Lakers have also been without star big man Anthony Davis for much of the year because of knee and foot injuries.

While James is out, the woes will likely continue for the Lakers. Star point guard Russell Westbrook will be the team's top option on offense, but his first year in Los Angeles has been mired by inconsistent play. Westbrook is averaging 18.2 points, his first time under 20 points since his second year in the league.