Christmas Day in the NBA is usually cause for celebration, but Tuesday night left some Los Angeles Lakers feeling like they got a lump of coal in their stocking.
As LA took on the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center, LeBron James came up injured on a play midway through the third quarter. As James was reaching for a lost ball on his own drive, an attempt to dive and recover possession saw James bend awkwardly.
That appeared to hurt James’ hip/groin area.
Via Twitter:
LeBron said he "felt a pop" before heading back to the locker room for further evaluation. (via @mcten) pic.twitter.com/ZjCmuGbx86
— ESPN (@espn) December 26, 2018
Perhaps inevitably, Lakers now say LeBron James will not return against the Warriors. His final line: 17 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists in 21 minutes.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) December 26, 2018
We will need to wait until tomorrow for LeBron to get an MRI in order to determine the extent of the damage. Losing James is the ultimate test for the Lakers, who have worked themselves to fourth place in the Western Conference standings but don’t exactly inspire confidence without The King.
Lakers fans will be hoping James is OK come Wednesday morning and that he’s just a little sore.