Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James missed the Lakers’ 116-110 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday with a left calf contusion. He is now likely to miss his second straight game as he may not be available for Tuesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
James was injured during Friday’s 122-119 win over the Phoenix Suns when he collided with Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant in the first quarter and briefly left the game before returning.
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james Despite playing injured, he played 36 minutes against the Suns and performed well, scoring 32 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists while shooting 64.7% from the field.
However, after the game, James talked about the pain in his calf that persisted throughout the night:
“It never lets up,” James said.
“I was pretty much locked up. So I was trying to stay calm, make sure I was okay, and try to stay stretched out and be as relaxed as possible, play the game and be productive.”
Before Sunday’s game, Lakers head coach Davin Hamm spoke of the team’s caution regarding James, who turns 39 next month. With it still being so early in the season, the Lakers will likely try to prevent the four-time NBA champion’s condition from getting worse. His injuries.
In these 9 games, James averaged 25.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.8 three-pointers per game, while shooting 56.9% from the field.
How do the Los Angeles Lakers fare without LeBron James?
Since joining Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James has struggled with injuries in 2018, playing less than 60 games in four of his first five seasons with the team.
Without James, the Lakers are just 45-67 since the 2018-19 season, including Sunday’s game against Portland.
Despite being 38 years old, James is still the Lakers’ leading scorer this season (25.2 points per game) and the team has been relying heavily on him. Therefore, the Lakers (5-5) will likely need him back soon to stay afloat in the competitive Western Conference.