The Los Angeles Lakers may have lost a lot more than a game in Saturday night's 111-101 defeat to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
Star small forward LeBron James left the game with a groin injury and didn't return. His absence was noticeable as Los Angeles lost for the first time since Feb. 19 (they reeled off nine straight wins).
And while no specific details on James' injury have been disclosed, ESPN NBA reporter Dave McMenamin revealed that the Lakers are seemingly bracing for bad news about James injury.
"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."
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. However one source said the initial thought is that it will sideline James for a matter of weeks, not a matter of days.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 9, 2025
The 40-year-old James had been the Lakers' best player this season, averaging a team-best 25.1 points, 8.5 assists, and 8.1 rebounds per game while averaging 34.9 minutes per night.
L.A. currently occupies the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, just a half-game behind the Denver Nuggets for the No. 2 seed.
Depending on how long James is out, the Lakers, who will rely heavily on newly acquired star point guard Luka Doncic and shooting guard Austin Reaves, will try to hold onto a spot in the top six in the standings and avoid having to participate in the NBA play-in tournament.
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This story was originally published March 9, 2025 at 12:10 AM.