On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Lakers, led by LeBron James, faced off against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in an intense game that resulted in a comeback victory for the Lakers. While the team’s new additions have certainly boosted their on-court abilities, James may be out of commission for a while due to an injury he sustained during the game.
Though the Lakers have not yet released details about the extent of James’ injury, he has been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies due to right foot soreness. During the game against the Mavericks, James played for 37 minutes and was seen holding onto his ankles in obvious pain during the third quarter. Despite the discomfort, he opted to finish the game, saying afterwards, “It’s been better. But I definitely wasn’t going to the locker room and not finish the game. The importance of this game and then the momentum that we had, I felt like we could steal one after being down.”
While the specifics of James’ injury are unclear, the NBA has reported that the Lakers are preparing for him to miss several games in order to recover. It remains to be seen exactly how many games he will need to sit out.
Despite James’ injury, the Lakers seem to be on the upswing since the trade deadline. Their win over the Mavericks is just one of several recent victories, and the team is certainly looking strong. However, they will undoubtedly miss James’ leadership and skills on the court, especially if he is out for an extended period of time.
In the meantime, the Lakers will need to work together as a team and rely on their other talented players, including Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis, to step up in James’ absence. As always, the NBA season is full of surprises, and only time will tell how the Lakers will fare without their star player.
