Lakers braced for bad LeBron James injury news

The Los Angeles Lakers’ eight-game winning streak came to an end on Saturday as they were defeated 111-101 by the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. And to make matters worse for JJ Redick’s team, LeBron James was forced out of the game with an injury.

What injury did LeBron James suffer against the Celtics?

The 21-time All-Star left the court with 6:44 remaining in the fourth quarter after pivoting around Jaylen Brown to score a basket. The Lakers have revealed the 40-year-old has suffered a groin strain, with attention now turning to how long he will be absent and when he will be back.

How long will LeBron James be out for?

Interviewed after the game, James said the “pop” in his groin immediately brought back bad memories of a similar injury he suffered on Christmas Day 2018, which forced him to spend a significant amount of time on the sidelines. However, he then attempted to downplay the issue, claiming there was “not much concern” and that it would be treated “day to day”.

Whether that was simply James putting on a brave face remains to be seen, although one source told ESPN the initial belief is that the groin problem will rule LeBron out for “a matter of weeks, not a matter of days”.

According to Dr Evan Jeffries, an NBA and NFL injury insider, the simple fact the Lakers have determined the injury as a “strain,” rather than soreness, is a concern, especially given James has suffered such an issue multiple times in his career.

The player will now undergo an MRI scan. If that shows he has suffered a Grade 1 strain, LeBron will likely miss 1-2 weeks, while a Grade 2 strain would potentially lead to an absence of 4-6 weeks.

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