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BOSTON (AP) — LeBron James expressed only mild concern after straining his groin during the final minutes of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 111-101 defeat to the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.
He refrained from making any predictions about his recovery timeline, as the Lakers aim to sustain their recent rise in the standings.
“I’m not too worried,” James stated. “I’m taking it day by day. I’ll monitor it daily to see if there’s improvement, and I’ll take the necessary steps to determine my path forward.”
James left the game during a timeout with 6:44 remaining after challenging a layup attempt by Jaylen Brown. He moved cautiously to the huddle during a subsequent timeout and hardly moved before heading to the locker room with the training staff. He concluded the game with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists.
His mind immediately recalled his inaugural season in Los Angeles in 2018 when a groin injury sidelined him during a Christmas Day game against Golden State, resulting in a missing streak of 17 games and lingering issues for the rest of that season.
“I’ve experienced this before, and I understand the type of injury we’re facing,” James remarked.
The encouraging news is that he believes this current strain isn’t as serious as the one he suffered in 2018.
He also mentioned thinking of his former teammate Anthony Davis, who recently sustained a groin injury in his first game in Dallas following a trade involving Luka Doncic.
“It’s unfortunate, but AD came to mind,” James noted.
Doncic understands the need for James to prioritize recovery.
“He needs to be patient,” Doncic said. “Those types of injuries are difficult to manage, to say the least.”
Meanwhile, James retains faith that his team can compensate as they seek to secure their standing in the Western Conference. Following Saturday’s loss, which ended their eight-game winning streak, the Lakers (40-22) slipped to third place behind Denver and are facing a challenging upcoming schedule.
The Lakers will continue their four-game road trip on Monday night against Brooklyn (7:30 ET, NBA League Pass). They will also face Milwaukee and Denver on Thursday and Friday. They will return home on March 16 for a four-game homestand, starting with Phoenix and culminating with rematches against the Nuggets and Bucks.
“It doesn’t matter who’s available, we need to stick to our game plan,” James expressed. “We’ve had a lot of roster changes throughout the year, and that’s been the case for the last six weeks as well. … Nothing is different.”
