LeBron James staggered off the court and into the locker room during the closing seconds of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 130-120 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.
After assessing his left ankle, James, who had lost the game despite scoring 31 points and handing out 13 assists in just 36 minutes, said, “I’ll be all right.” It’s only my ankle. That’s essentially what I was managing with prior to and following the [All-Star] break. All I’m doing is managing it as best I can.
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James said that on Wednesday, he didn’t feel uneasy with any specific play.
James said, “I played the entire third, took a brief break to start the fourth, and when I got back in, it kind of just— whatever.” “It’s just a problem I’ve been having,”
James, 39, is a professional basketball player in his 21st season. An insider with knowledge of the condition claims that “wear and tear” is the only cause of the ankle pain.
“Some games are better than others,” James said. “I didn’t feel anything against OKC on Monday. And I didn’t really see anything till the fourth quarter of tonight. Every game and every day are therefore distinct.
James had a left ankle issue, thus going into the evening, he was deemed doubtful. He made no mention of whether or not he would be able to participate in Friday’s Los Angeles Lakers game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Even if James has to miss time, Anthony Davis believes the Lakers have enough to get back on track. Nevertheless, Davis didn’t seem to be as optimistic about the outcome against the Kings.
In the first quarter, Los Angeles jumped out to an early 37–18 lead with 1:52 remaining. After Davis committed his second foul shortly after, Sacramento went on a 10-0 run to close the quarter.
“Davion Mitchell made a big impact; Malik Monk came in and made a big impact,” James stated. Additionally, they altered the game’s rules. That was a total turn around. From one quarter to the next, that was the game at that precise moment.
The Lakers were 1.5 games behind the Kings for seventh place in the Western Conference heading into their encounter with them the next week in Sacramento.
Now that the Kings have beaten the Lakers in three straight games, Sacramento will win the season series against L.A. no matter what happens next week. This might come back to haunt the Lakers if they find themselves in a tiebreak for postseason seeding.
With their second loss in three games, the Lakers fell to No. 10 in the Western Conference.
In the end, Davis finished with just 14 points on 5-for-13 shooting and 11 rebounds. “It sucks,” he remarked. “Especially in a game that we really needed to win.”
Domantas Sabonis finished with 16 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists, while De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 44 points on 19 of 32 shooting. Coming off the bench, Monk and Mitchell combined for 38 points on 14 of 23 shooting. “A few defensive lapses on our part gave them—De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk—the opportunity to score freely and remain in the paint,” Davis stated. “And if I go help, Sabonis is wide open.” As a result, they were successful in dictating our actions.