LeBron (groin) out at least three more games
LeBron James slips and strains his left groin, forcing him to come out of the game. (0:36)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James will miss at least another week as he continues to recover from a significant groin strain, with the team ruling him out for Friday’s game against the New York Knicks as well as an upcoming two-game road trip.
Dating back to his time in Cleveland, LeBron James has proved to be the most valuable NBA player when it comes to setting (and betting) point spreads.
The Lakers said in a release Friday that James continues to receive daily treatment and will be reevaluated in a week.
“We got to get him healthy,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said at shootaround Friday. “We talk all year, we need everyone on our team. You don’t want anyone to get hurt. That’s how the NBA season plays out. We’re down in bodies. It’s gonna be a challenge, but our guys should be excited for that. We gotta find a way to keep playing at a high level and try to finish some of these games out.”
James, who has already missed four games with the injury, participated little in practice Tuesday but did get some shots up in front of Walton for the first time since being injured on Christmas against the Golden State Warriors.
The Lakers are 1-3 without James since the injury.
James will not play Friday against the Knicks, Sunday at the Minnesota Timberwolves or Monday at the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers’ one-week time frame would also make James unlikely for a home game against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
Sources previously told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Adrian Wojnarowski that the team had been preparing for James to miss several games.
Forward Kyle Kuzma is questionable for Friday’s game after he suffered a lower-back contusion Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and Baxter Holmes contributed to this report.