LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James is sitting out the Los Angeles Lakers ' game against Oklahoma City on Tuesday night to rest his injured left foot.
The Pacific Division champion Lakers are already without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who are both sidelined for at least the rest of the regular season with significant injuries. Doncic, Reaves and James are averaging a combined 77.6 points per game this season, or 66.5% of the Lakers' typical nightly scoring output.
The Lakers also are without starting guard Marcus Smart (bruised right ankle) and backup center Jaxson Hayes (bruised left foot) against the NBA-leading Thunder.
The 41-year-old James has been dealing with left foot arthritis and discomfort for much of the regular season, and he has occasionally sat out games to rest. The visit from the Thunder will be the 22nd game he has missed in his unprecedented 23rd NBA season.
Although James' absence is only a short-term decision to rest a veteran in a game that would be difficult to win with a full roster, the Lakers’ injury woes in the past week have badly damaged their hopes of being a championship contender in Doncic’s first full season with the club.
Both Doncic — the NBA’s scoring leader — and Reaves were injured during the Lakers’ blowout loss to the Thunder last week. Doncic incurred a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring, and Reaves injured his oblique muscles.
The Lakers have indicated only that both Doncic and Reaves will miss the rest of this week, but their injuries typically take longer than that to heal in most athletes. Coach JJ Redick seemed to acknowledge Tuesday they'll be significantly short-handed when the playoffs begin.
"Our playoff rotation is not set in the first round with AR and Luka being out, so we've got to evaluate everybody and we've got to find who those guys are that we can trust and put in the playoffs," Redick said.
Doncic has left the Lakers to travel to Europe for treatment in an attempt to shorten his recovery time. Redick wouldn't say how long Doncic is likely to be away from the team.
“I think he's in good spirits,” Redick said. “In my conversations with him, he's motivated to do everything possible. I know for him, it's hard not for him to be on a basketball court. That's his happy place, and he's one of the handful of guys that really played year-round. ... He wants to get back on the court.”
In the Lakers' first game after losing Doncic and Reaves last Sunday, James had 30 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds, but the Lakers lost 134-128 to the struggling Dallas Mavericks.
James is averaging 20.8 points, 7.1 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game this season. He has knocked over another set of NBA records this season, most recently surpassing Robert Parish's record for career games played.
Smart has been out since March 21, depriving the Lakers of a key defensive player and a veteran leader. Redick said the Lakers had thought Smart would be back by now.
“He was doing on-court work, and he wanted to dial it back (last week),” Redick said. “He had a great day today on the court, trending towards playing at some point this week.”
The Lakers' visit from the defending champion Thunder is the first of three games in four days. Los Angeles plays at Golden State on Thursday and hosts Phoenix on Friday.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James walks the court during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James grimaces as he grabs the ball after a whistle during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices plunged below $100 a barrel and Asia markets and U.S. stock futures jumped after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 4.8% and South Korea’s Kospi gained 5.6%. Futures for the S&P 500 advanced 2.3% as of 9:30 p.m. EDT, while Dow futures rose 2%.
Futures for U.S. crude oil sank 14.3% to $96.83 a barrel and Brent crude oil, the international standard, dropped 13.3% to $94.74. Oil prices had spiked because the war snarled the production and transportation of crude in the Persian Gulf. Much of that oil exits the gulf through the Strait of Hormuz to reach customers around the world, but Iran had blocked it to enemies.
Late Tuesday, Trump said he was holding off on his threatened attacks on Iranian bridges, power plants and other civilian targets. Iran’s foreign minister said passage through the strait would be allowed for the next two weeks under Iranian military management.
The dramatic moves in prices are just the latest swings to hit financial markets since late February because of constantly shifting signals about when the conflict may end. Even with word of a ceasefire, neither Iran nor the United States said when it would begin, and attacks took place in Israel, Iran and across the Gulf region early Wednesday.
Earlier, U.S. stocks swung sharply during regular trading as uncertainty about the war with Iran increased after Trump had threatened that a “whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if Iran does not meet his deadline at 8 p.m. Eastern time to open the Strait of Hormuz.
The S&P 500 fell as much as 1.2% but stocks rallied at the end of trading after Pakistan’s prime minister urged Trump to extend his deadline for another two weeks and asked Iran to open up the strait for the same amount of time.
The S&P 500 erased all its losses and ended with a modest gain of 0.1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 85 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.1%.
They’re the latest swings to hit financial markets since late February because of deep uncertainty about when the fighting may end.
Oil prices were likewise shaky. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude to be delivered in May briefly climbed above $117 before settling at $112.95.
Oil prices have spiked because the war has snarled the production and transportation of crude in the Persian Gulf. Much of that oil exits the gulf through the Strait of Hormuz to reach customers around the world, but Iran has blocked it to enemies.
The worry in markets has been that a long-term disruption will keep oil prices high for a long time and send a painful wave of inflation crashing through the global economy. Trump kept traders on edge by making a series of threats to blow up Iranian power plants only to delay several times.
The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline across the United States has leaped to $4.14, according to AAA. It was below $3 a couple days before the United States and Israel launched attacks to begin the war in late February.
In the bond market, Treasury yields eased on word of a potential cease-fire. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.24% from 4.30% earlier Tuesday.
That’s still well above its 3.97% level from before the war, and the rise has pushed up rates for mortgages and other loans going to U.S. households and businesses, which slows the economy.
John Mauro works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Ed Curran works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
People work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A general view shows the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, March 27, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
People stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
