LeBron James has confirmed that he will take a few more days to rest his injured ankle. The Lakers star had been targeting tonight’s game against the Rockets for his return to the lineup, but he has decided against trying to play.
“Getting close but I won’t be in the lineup tonight,” James tweeted, “but more importantly I will be there to put that CHAMPIONSHIP banner in the rafters at Staples Center in front of our fans!!”
L.A.’s next game is Saturday at Indiana. The Lakers will finish the regular season Sunday at New Orleans, and it’s unlikely that James will attempt to play on back-to-back nights.
James is still dealing with the effects of a high-ankle sprain he suffered in a March 20 game. He returned to the lineup on April 30, but aggravated the injury in a May 2 contest and hasn’t played since.
The Lakers may be headed for the play-in tournament, which begins next Tuesday, and James will want to make sure his ankle is in good shape for the start of the postseason.
Does anyone think MJ would be playing? I know I do. MJ played with all kinds of aches and pains. He took some serious punishment against the old Knicks teams.
Curry would be playing too (although Kerr would bench him for like 6 minutes too long)
MJ was playing against scrubs wearing high shorts.
Lebron couldn’t hang, he’d get close lined charging to the hole and complain to no avail.
Maybe, maybe not.
Even Jordan would have wanted to be 100% for the playoffs, I think. And at this point LAL is almost guaranteed to be in the play in unless they win out. So risk-reward might not be there
Mj never had an off-season as short as LBJ just did. Apples and oranges
Why can’t fruit be compared?
MJ was in the finals quite a few times and didn’t do load management. I’d guess it’s pretty close between the two – a tad bit more physical back then, too. I think it’s a pretty good comparison.
I wish the game wasnt as physical as it was in the 80s, but watch any Steph Curry game and you will see a man get absolutely brutalized every single possession with no foul called ever.
Pretty sure the lakers could pick 10 dudes out of the stands and still beat the tanking rockets. They know it, LBJ knows it, Houston knows it, no need to play him in a worthless contest.
The Rockets are missing just as many of their best players themselves with John Wall, Eric Gordon, and Kevin Porter all being out plus Christian Wood and Danuel House are both questionable. This is still a total trap game.
Houston does not need to tank anymore, so show some pride
A list of mediocre also rans. So sad to see the Rockets turn into a shell of their former selves in just a few months
Except their best players suck, there is not a huge drop off
Sure, they really suck. Christian Wood averaged 21 PPG and 9.6 RPG and was the front-runner for most improved player early in the season. Kevin Porter averaged 16.6 PPG and 6.3 APG and was an absolute steal, thank you Cleveland. It’s a 1-point game right now.
I agree, KPJ was a steal but how about that steal from Wesley Matthews?!? And Kuz with the go ahead bucket. Winning is winning
Won a “worthless contest” by 2 whole points (against a team missing 11 players BTW), big whoop. The Lakers are still a game behind the Mavs and Blazers, and both of those teams hold the tie-breaker, so even if LA wins their final two games they have to hope that either Dallas or Portland loses both of theirs to avoid the play-in tournament. Great job by the Lakers.
And talking about picking 10 dudes out of the stands, four of the eight players available for the Rockets tonight (Khyri Thomas, Cameron Oliver, Anthony Lamb, and Armoni Brooks) are either on two-way or 10-day contracts. So you basically described what Houston had to work with tonight and they barely lost on the last play of the game. Any Lakers fan right now who isn’t extremely worried about his team’s chances in the playoffs this year (if they even make the playoffs) needs to get his head out of the sand.
They should’ve done a few promotions this season for dudes to literally come out of the stands, would’ve had a better chance than the rag tag crew they run out there every night
He is getting ready fir the play-in game.
Michael Jeffrey Jordan left the NBA for 2 season to go play division league Baseball ⚾ fell bad at it to best thing he was buspurchased $$$ a team bus
Are you ok, Jody?
What kinds of excuses do we think LeFraud will have the press he bought off trot out this year after the Lakers early exit? This injury gotta be one. We all know he fears Curry the most, because he hung 3 giant L’s on him already in his career, so I’m guessing this injury will be used for sure, even though he will shoot badly because he choked, the media won’t focus on his wide open misses, it will be on his mysterious injury that otherwise has him looking identical to how he normally was.
It’s funny how much Steph has singlehandedly put the entire NBA on his singular back this year. Bron never, Kobe never. MJ did, but he played when non-athletes were in the league and the pace of the game was slower than golf. The game now is like the 80s on steroids, which makes Steph’s dominance that much more remarkable. Steph is the #1 GOAT and it’s time to we all started acknowledging it.
Nope.
Lol
Yup. That one guy from the 8th best team in the west is really putting the whole league on his back. In fact if it wasn’t for his individual effort the whole league would have folded by now.
LMAO Steph the only leading star in history to blow a 3-1 Finals lead. Steph the Finals MVP virgin. Steph the guy who can’t win without KD. Sure.
Lmao today’s game is weak. a bald headed Alex Caruso is one of the top defenders. That should tell you how lame nba is
This wasn’t a meaningless game for the Lakers, if they hadn’t won on the last play of the game they would have been eliminated from any chance of moving up in the standings. But all they did was delay the inevitable, so next week the Lakers will have to get past the play-in tournament in order to make the playoffs. Good luck, you’ll definitely need it. I have to decide who to root for, the Lakers or the Warriors.
All you need to be rooting for are those ping pong balls.