The Los Angeles Lakers suffered more than just a loss to the Boston Celtics in the first game of their four-game road trip—LeBron James exited with a groin injury and did not return.
Following the game on Saturday night, March 8, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that James’ injury could impact the Lakers for weeks.
“It is too early to project an accurate timetable for how long LeBron James could miss because of his left groin injury, sources told ESPN,” McMenamin wrote. “However, one source said the initial thought is that it will sideline James for a matter of weeks, not a matter of days.”
LeBron James Remains Optimistic Despite Injury Against Celtics
The setback is a tough blow for the Lakers, who had won eight straight games before their 10-point loss at TD Garden. They now face matchups against the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Denver Nuggets before returning to L.A. on March 16 for a five-game home stand.
Los Angeles entered Boston as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference but slipped to third place behind the Denver Nuggets following the defeat.
At 40 years old and in his 22nd NBA season, James has been remarkably durable throughout his career. However, he has dealt with groin injuries before, most notably on Christmas Day in 2018, when he suffered a similar issue that sidelined him for 17 games.
Despite the concern, James downplayed the severity of the injury after the game.
“James downplayed the injury, saying there was ‘not much concern’ and vowing to ‘go day to day’ in treating it,” McMenamin wrote.
Luka Doncic Comments on LeBron’s Injury Challenges
Luka Doncic, who joined the Lakers from the Dallas Mavericks before the NBA’s February 6 trade deadline, shared his thoughts on the difficulty of dealing with groin injuries.
“Obviously, to get injured at this time, those [groin] injuries are—I don’t want to say the worst—but they are tough to deal with,” Doncic said, per McMenamin. “So, just take his time. And we got to have as a team a next-man-up mentality.”
The Lakers’ upcoming game against the Nets isn’t a must-win, but it holds significance in their current road trip. Meanwhile, the Bucks have been one of the hottest teams in the league after a poor 2-8 start, and the Nuggets overtook the Lakers in the standings following Saturday’s result.
Los Angeles holds a 40-22 record with 20 games remaining in the regular season.
