Lakers star LeBron James returned to Los Angeles on Saturday and will not be with the team for the end of its six-game road trip, coach Frank Vogel said Sunday.
James recently underwent an MRI that revealed "general swelling," Vogel said. Sunday's contest against the Hawks marks the third consecutive game that James has missed because of soreness in his left knee.
Vogel said that as long as there is swelling in James's knee, he will be unavailable.
"Just going to keep an eye on it day to day," Vogel said.
James, 37, is averaging 29.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. He has appeared in 36 contests this season.
Earlier this season, James had already dealt with an abdominal strain which caused him to miss multiple games. The Lakers are 5–9 in games James has been out.
Los Angeles entered Sunday ninth in the Western Conference and 24–26 on the season.
"We're always mindful of the load that he's carrying, in constant communication with him and the medical team," Vogel said of the team's approach to managing James's return. "And in terms of what we do going forward with the knee and where he's at, it's really a heavy lean on the medical staff and [trainer] Mike Mancias and what they feel is best. It's really not a head-coach thing as much as it is relying on the medical team."
