LeBron James out with injury (ankle)

LeBron James will not play in the Los Angeles Lakers’ final two games of the season because of a sore left ankle, the team announced Friday.

The Lakers, already eliminated from playoff contention since Tuesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns ensured the San Antonio Spurs finished ahead of them for the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference, will host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday and finish the season on the road against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

James has missed five of the Lakers’ last six games since spraining his ankle against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 27.

James finishes the season averaging 30.3 points, second in the league behind Joel Embiid (30.4) of the Philadelphia 76ers, in 56 games. If Embiid’s average is lower than James’ when the Sixers finish the season, James will not be able to claim the title of leading scorer while he is inactive. A player must play at least 58 games to be eligible for the distinction.

Still, it was the most points James, 37, averaged since his third season in the league, when he scored 31.4 points per game with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The scoring average is also the highest for a player in his 19th season.

L.A. was just 25-31 in games played by James, the first time since his rookie year with the Cavs that his team finished with a sub-.500 record in games played.

It is the second time in James’ four seasons with the Lakers that he has finished the season out of the lineup due to injury while the team fails to make the playoffs.