LeBron James and Steph Curry
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LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors during a game.
After the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, LeBron James had a message for Steph Curry, who missed the game due to injury.
Speaking to ESPN’s Lisa Salters after the Lakers’ 105-99 win, James would have preferred to play the Warriors with a healthy Curry.
“The most important is health, obviously,” James said. “Especially for the both of us, where we are in our career, so speedy recovery to Steph. We miss him out here.”
James knows a thing or two about injuries this season. He missed the first 14 games of the campaign because of sciatica. It took him some time to get his rhythm back, but he’s been playing like an All-Star over the past two months.
Curry has sat out the last three games due to swelling and pain in his right knee, which is called patellofemoral pain syndrome, as per ESPN. He’s already listed as out for Monday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, with a potential return after the All-Star break.
LeBron Comments on Luke Kennard’s Lakers Debut
The Los Angeles Lakers weren’t very busy at the trade deadline, but they did acquire Luke Kennard from the Atlanta Hawks. The Lakers parted ways with guard Gabe Vincent and a future second-round pick for the sharpshooting guard.
In his postgame media availability, the four-time NBA MVP praised Kennard’s shooting and playmaking.
“Him being able to crack the defense when they run him off the line, and he made some great spread out passes today,” James said. “After he had just hit a three across from our bench, he had another one by our bench and passed it up ’cause he saw Vando (Jarred Vanderbilt) underneath the hole, underneath the rim and Vando got the dunk. (It) forced them (Golden State) to call a timeout. So, just a really good basketball player (that) we happen to have.”
James also joked about Kennard breaking his high school scoring record in Ohio, though they are even because he also played on his AAU team back then. Kennard was born in Middletown and went to Duke before getting drafted 12th overall by the Detroit Pistons in 2017.
What’s Next For LeBron And The Lakers?
The Los Angeles Lakers have three more games before the NBA All-Star break. They are set to welcome the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on Monday. They then face the visiting San Antonio Spurs two days later, before battling Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks.
These three games are part of the team’s eight-game homestand. They have three more games after the break against the Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic.
LeBron James will have to carry the Lakers until Luka Doncic gets cleared to return from a mild hamstring strain. Austin Reaves is still getting eased into the rotation after missing 19 straight games since Christmas because of a calf injury.
The Lakers are sitting fifth in the West standings, with a record of 32-19. They won three in a row and are 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are just one game behind the No. 3 spot, though the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns are on their tail.