LeBron not 'too concerned' by groin injury ahead of MRI scan

LeBron James will have an MRI scan on the groin injury sustained on Christmas Day but is confident he will be back in action quickly.

Published : Dec 26, 2018 15:35 IST

LeBron James sustained an injury on Christmas Day.
LeBron James sustained an injury on Christmas Day.
lightbox-info

LeBron James sustained an injury on Christmas Day.

LeBron James is not "too concerned" about the groin injury he sustained in the Los Angeles Lakers' resounding 127-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Four-time MVP James left during the third quarter after he "felt a pop" and will have an MRI scan on Wednesday to assess the severity of the issue.

Lakers head coach Luke Walton said the team would prepare for Thursday's meeting with the Sacramento Kings as if the 33-year-old will not be available, but James is confident he will not be spending much time on the sidelines.

"Draymond [Green] got his hand on the ball, and when he got the loose ball I just over-extended my groin I guess. I felt it coming down the court and I just over-extended it again back on defense. It was just an unfortunate play," said James.

"I have [had it before], but not in a long time. I'm going to get an MRI [on Wednesday].

"With injuries I'm never too concerned about them, I was able to walk off under my own power. I felt a pop and [tried to] see if I could stretch it a few times and see if it would relieve and it didn't.

READ: NBA wrap: Lakers rout Warriors despite LeBron James exit

"I did a couple of exercises to see if I could continue to go, but I didn't feel like it would benefit my team or me, so I just came and got a jump-start on the rehab.

"I'm going to be all around the clock on rehab ... and see how I feel on Thursday when we go to Sac.

"Being available to my team-mates, to my coaching staff, that's something I take more personal than anything, so hopefully it's not a long thing and I can get back on the floor as soon as possible."

The Lakers was leading 71-57 when James left the game and the Warriors quickly closed the gap to just five points in his absence.

However, the three-time NBA champion is sure his team-mates will be able to step up should he be forced to miss time.

"Well at first they didn't play very well, they let Golden State go on that 14-1 run but after that Kuz [Kyle Kuzma] was able to go to free-throw line and we controlled the pace after that," said James.

"[Rajon] Rondo was gigantic in controlling the pace, getting to his spots either for scoring in his layup package or finding guys out there. And once again big Zoo [Ivica Zubac] was huge for us on both sides of the floor.

"It's always next man up, no matter what. JaVale's [JaVale McGee] been out, BI [Brandon Ingram], Rondo's been out, so it's next man up."

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment