LeBron James said he may have “dodged a bullet” after a collision with Jazz guard Walter Clayton Jr., who ran into the same left knee he injured during last season’s playoffs.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James experienced a brief injury scare during Thursday’s 143–135 win over the Utah Jazz.
In the second quarter, while James was coming off a pick-and-roll, Jazz rookie guard Walter Clayton Jr. collided with LeBron’s left knee, causing him to fall to the floor and grab his knee.
The moment was especially concerning because it involved the same knee in which James suffered an MCL sprain during last season’s playoffs against Minnesota.
Fortunately, James said after the game that he had “dodged a bullet,” explaining that the pain subsided quickly.
“Just a little bolt to the knee, like a sharp pain,” James said postgame. “Got kneed on the inside, like the medial side, of the knee. And I just wanted to take my time a little bit as it calmed down… or hoping it calmed down.
“I told Mike [Mancias], my trainer, ‘We dodged a bullet there,’” he added.
Despite the scare, James finished the game with 28 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds in 32 minutes of action.
With the win, the Lakers improved to a 19–7 record, good for third place in the Western Conference.
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