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

The Los Angeles Lakers are going to be without their leading scorer, as he is going to miss his second game with an ankle injury.

James was listed as out for the Utah Jazz game by the Lakers.

The Lakers lost to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday without James because of an ankle injury. He was hurt in the previous game, a loss to New Orleans.

This season has been a huge offensive resurgence for James. In 55 starts, the 18-time All-Star is averaging a career-best 30.1 points per game as well as 8.2 rebound and 6.3 assists. He is the first person in the NBA to score in a game.

The Lakers have not been successful because of James' gaudy numbers. Los Angeles and the San Antonio Spurs are tied for 10th in the Western Conference with a 31-44 record.

The Lakers would not be in the play-in tournament if the season ended today because they would lose a tie-breaker to the Spurs.

Los Angeles has not been able to deploy a fully healthy roster. James has missed a lot of time this season because of issues to his abdomen and knee. The Lakers have been without Anthony Davis for much of the year because of injuries.

The Lakers' troubles will likely continue while James is out. Russell Westbrook will be the team's top option on offense, but his first year in Los Angeles has been plagued by inconsistent play. Since his second year in the league, he's averaged under 20 points, but this year he's averaged 18.2 points.