Since LeBron James went down with an injury against the Boston Celtics on March 8, things have gone south for the Los Angeles Lakers. Pairing up with Luka Dončić, the 40-year-old veteran unleashed a fury on the court that saw the Lakers torching eight opponents in a row.
But James suffered a left groin strain against the Celtics and had to leave the game. With that, the Lakers seem to have lost their lucky charm. First, they suffered a crushing blow from Boston, then the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks handed them tough losses. The L.A. squad is now on a three-game skid and is desperately hoping for King James to return to the court.
Latest Updates on LeBron James’ Injury
Since the injury, the four-time NBA champion has missed three straight games — initially, the expected recovery timeline for James was one to two weeks. Following medical advice, he returned to Los Angeles to focus on his rehabilitation while the team continued its road trip.
Given that it’s been a week since the injury, there was optimism that he could return soon. There were positive signs as well since the veteran is being considered day-to-day.
The Lakers desperately need him back, and sending him to L.A. seemed like a good move, as the team’s road trip ends with a March 14 battle with the Denver Nuggets. The extra rest should give James more time to speed up his recovery.
However, there’s still some time before King James can rejoin the squad. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the Lakers superstar will be out for another week. This means he won’t be available for the Lakers’ upcoming home game against the Phoenix Suns on March 16.
Lakers Missing Another Star During Second Leg of Back-to-Back
The Lakers’ injury woes keep piling up. Already struggling without James, the team lost another key piece: Dončić. The Slovenian superstar was ruled out of the Lakers’ final road trip game against the Nuggets due to a sprained right ankle and lingering left calf issues.
It was a massive blow for JJ Redick’s squad, as Dončić has been the Lakers’ primary offensive force in James’ absence. Against the Bucks, he exploded for 45 points and 10 rebounds, becoming the youngest Laker since 1962 to achieve such a feat.
Now, with Dončić sidelined, the Lakers’ offensive firepower is severely depleted. However, the hope is that this was preventative, as the Lakers were facing a back-to-back and the Nuggets were the second leg of the two-night run.
Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura are also out with injuries, leaving the Lakers in a tough spot if Dončić misses more than one game.