LOS ANGELES — LeBron James’ goal of playing in all 82 of the Lakers’ 2024-25 regular-season games ended on Sunday.

James missed his first game of the season on Sunday in the team’s home matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers because of left foot soreness.

The 39-year-old star entered Sunday as questionable because of the foot ailment. He was upgraded to probable Sunday morning before being downgraded to doubtful 1½ hours before tipoff and eventually ruled out an hour before tipoff.

James, who turns 40 in three weeks, first appeared on the injury report because of the foot injury ahead of Friday’s trip-ending overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

He finished with 39 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, 3 blocked shots and 2 steals in 43 minutes against the Hawks.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said ahead of Sunday’s game that he wasn’t aware that James was experiencing foot soreness until after Wednesday’s blowout loss to the Heat in Miami, a game James finished with 29 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in 29 minutes.

James entered Sunday with averages of 23 points (49.5% shooting – 35.9% on 3-pointers), 9.1 assists and 8 rebounds in the Lakers’ first 23 games.

With James and Austin Reaves (bruised left pelvis) sidelined, the Lakers started Gabe Vincent, Max Christie, Dalton Knecht, Rui Hachimura and Anthony Davis against the Trail Blazers.

Reaves missed his fifth consecutive game because of the pelvis injury.

“With LeBron out, we’re going to have to move, we’re going to have to cut, we’re going to have to pass,” Redick said pregame. “We’re going to have to play in transition. And overall for our team, just getting back to really emphasize trying to get a paint touch on every possession. We were doing that earlier in the year and have gotten away from that and need to get back to that.”

Due to the Lakers having five players sidelined with injuries, all of the organization’s two-way players (Christian Koloko, Quincy Olivari, and Armel Traore) were available on Sunday.

Backup center Jaxson Hayes has been sidelined 13 of the last 14 games because of right ankle injuries, and he isn’t expected to be evaluated until this week.

Big man Christian Wood (offseason left knee surgery) and forward Jarred Vanderbilt (offseason feet surgery recovery) have yet to play this season. The Lakers announced that Vanderbilt is expected to return in early January. Wood’s status isn’t as clear.

Second-round pick Bronny James was also available after making his return to the floor from a bruised left heel in the South Bay Lakers’ (the organization’s G League affiliate) win over the San Diego Clippers on Saturday.

Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Lakers’ 2023 first-round pick, was the lone inactive player without an injury designation.

The Lakers will get a rare four-day break from games after Sunday, with their next game not scheduled until Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis.

“I mean, you don’t want him out of the lineup, that’s for sure – but he has an opportunity to get four days rest before we practice again,” Redick said. “So it could be really good for him.”

FACING ADVERSITY

The Lakers entered Sunday on a three-game losing streak, tied for their longest winning drought of the season, and losers of seven of their previous nine games.

Redick spoke pregame about embracing the adversity his team is facing.

“Adversity is good,” Redick said. “It toughens your resolve. It forces you to problem-solve. It hopefully can bring the group together. I think it’s a Jay-Z song. I don’t know the exact title, but it says, ‘it was all good just a week ago.’ And the reality is that’s the NBA.

“Every team’s going to go through a stretch like this. Good teams, bad teams. The games come so fast and you have an injury or you have a couple bad games or you go into a funk or you go into shooting slump or ... this is it. This is the NBA. So I felt that as a player. I certainly feel it in this stretch as a coach.”