LeBron James could potentially be sidelined for weeks after sustaining an injury to his left groin during the Los Angeles Lakers' loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday. James exited the matchup in the middle of the fourth quarter, and did not return.
According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, one source said "the initial thought is that it will sideline James for a matter of weeks, not a matter of days." McMenamin also noted that it was too early to know an exact timetable for the injury.
Lakers coach JJ Redick did not have an update on James's injury after the game, but acknowledged there is “obviously concern” regarding the injury.
On the contrary, James told reporters "there's not much concern" with the injury. James also said: "Day to day. Look at it each day to see if it gets better. Take the proper measurements [and] see what we need to do going forward."
Back in 2018, James suffered a torn groin that sidelined him for 17 games. When asked to compare this injury to that one, James was adamant in his belief.
"No, it's not as bad as that," He said. "It's not as bad as that."
When James left the game with 6:44 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Lakers were narrowing in on the Celtics as they attempted to come back from a 20-point deficit at the end of the third quarter. When James left, the Celtics took control back in the game, and won 111-101.
Going forward, the concern will center on how much time James could miss. The Lakers had an eight-game winning streak heading into their loss to the Celtics, and have been one of the hottest teams in the Western Conference. The Lakers briefly reached the No. 2 seed in the conference, but are now back at No. 3. Los Angeles does still have Luka Doncic, who scored 34 points with eight rebounds and three assists against the Celtics, but will Doncic be enough to keep the Lakers near the top of the Western Conference standings if James misses extended time?
The Lakers should have a better idea of how much time James could miss by the time they face the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as LeBron James Reportedly Could Miss 'Weeks' After Injury in Loss to Celtics.