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 (the team had reeled off nine straight wins heading into Saturday's matchup.)
And while no specific details on James' injury have been disclosed, ESPN NBA reporter Dave McMenamin revealed that the Lakers likely aren't expecting to hear good news regarding James' prognosis.
"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
James seemed to be a little more optimistic about his injury status than McMenamin's source was.
"Not much concern," he said after the game. "Obviously, I'm day-to-day. I'll look at it each day and see if it gets better. We'll take the proper measures to see what we need to do moving forward."
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 holds 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, may be in for a fight to hold onto a spot in the top six in the standings and avoid having to participate in the NBA play-in tournament.
Just five games separate the No. 3-6 seeds in the West with approximately 20 regular-season contests remaining.
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This story was originally published March 9, 2025 at 12:10 AM.