After straining his groin in the final moments of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 111-101 defeat to the Boston Celtics on Sunday (AEDT), LeBron James appeared relatively untroubled.
He refrained from providing a specific timeframe for his return to the court, as the Lakers strive to build on their recent improvement in the standings.
“Not much concern,” stated James.
“Of course, I’m day-to-day. I’ll evaluate how I feel each day and determine the appropriate actions to take as I move forward.”
James departed during a timeout with 6 minutes and 44 seconds remaining after contesting a layup by Jaylen Brown. He walked gingerly to the huddle during a subsequent timeout before slowly making his way to the locker room accompanied by the trainers.
He concluded the game with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists.
Austin Reaves checks on team-mate LeBron James following his collision with Jayson Tatum. Getty
Reflecting on his first season with the Lakers in 2018, James recalled a groin injury he sustained during a Boxing Day (AEDT) match against Golden State.
That injury put him out for 17 games and continued to affect him for the remainder of the season.
“I’ve experienced this before, and I’m aware of the nature of the injury we’re dealing with,” James remarked.
Fortunately, he is optimistic that this latest tweak isn’t as serious as the one from 2018.
He also mentioned thoughts of former teammate Anthony Davis, who sustained a groin injury in his first game in Dallas after being traded for Luka Doncic.
“That’s wild. But I couldn’t help thinking about AD,” James added.
LeBron James makes a pass while defended by Jayson Tatum of the Celtics. Getty
Doncic expressed hopes that James would allow the injury the necessary time to heal.
“Clearly, he needs to take his time,” Doncic stated. “Such injuries are challenging to manage.”
In the interim, James remains confident that his team, which had its impressive eight-game winning streak broken by Boston, can cope as it aims to hold onto its position in the Western Conference standings.
Following their loss on Sunday, the Lakers (40-22) slipped to third place behind Denver and face a challenging stretch of matches ahead.
The Lakers continue their four-game road trip on Tuesday (AEDT) against Brooklyn, followed by tough games against Milwaukee and Denver on Friday and Saturday (AEDT).
They will return home on March 17 to embark on a four-game homestand that kicks off with a match against Phoenix, ending with a rematch against both the Nuggets and the Bucks.
“It doesn’t matter who’s on the floor; we need to focus on our game,” James emphasised.
“We’ve had players coming in and out of the lineup consistently this year and particularly over the last six weeks… nothing needs to change.”
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