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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James suffered a strained left groin in the third quarter of Tuesday’s Christmas Day matchup with the Golden State Warriors.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported the initial exam reveals it’s just a “slight” strain and that “it could have been worse.” Luke Walton told reporters after the Lakers’ 127-98 win that James will undergo an MRI on Wednesday. Walton added the Lakers are preparing for James to be out against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, per Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s Undefeated.
James is considered day to day, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. He was ruled out in the fourth quarter after initially being considered questionable to return.
The injury occurred during the third quarter, and James could be seen saying near the Lakers’ bench he “heard a pop” before being taken to the locker room:
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LeBron left the game early with a left groin injury and told Lakers trainers that he “felt a pop.”
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Losing James for any amount of time is a significant blow to the Lakers, especially in a crowded Western Conference where the fourth- through 14th-place teams are separated by just 4.5 games.
The four-time NBA MVP and three-time NBA champion joined a 35-47 Lakers team in the offseason, but thanks in large part to James’ efforts, L.A. is now a much-improved at 19-14 entering Tuesday’s game and ranks fourth in the West.
Through 33 games, James is averaging 27.6 points, 7.2 assists, 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals. He currently ranks sixth among all starters in player efficiency rating, and ESPN ranks him eighth among all qualified small forwards in defensive real plus-minus.
In his absence, expect second-year point guard Lonzo Ball to take on more ball-handling duties, while Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram should handle more of the scoring burden. Lance Stephenson will also likely see more time off the bench thanks to his playmaking and ball-handling abilities.
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