After the Lakers blew a 23-point lead to fall to the Pelicans on Sunday, all eyes were on the status of LeBron James’s injured left ankle.
James finished with 39 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 42 minutes for the Lakers, playing through pain as the franchise clings to its playoff hopes.
“I was going in for an offensive rebound and me and Jaxson [Hayes] basically stepped at the same time,” James said. “He got his foot on the ground before I could get my foot back on the hardwood, and I stepped on his foot and rolled my ankle. … I have no idea how I finished the game to be honest after watching that replay. It’s pretty nasty.”
James didn’t mince words when asked for a follow-up on how his ankle was feeling,
“Oh, it’s horrible. It’s horrible right now and unfortunately, we’re about to hop on a flight, too, so just gotta get treatment around the clock and see what happens day-to-day, but it’s pretty sore right now,” James added.
The Lakers cannot afford to lose James at any time, but especially at this juncture of the season. After entering the year as one of the favorites to come out of the Western Conference, the Lakers have played poorly for a majority of the year around their star player. James is having one of the best offensive seasons of his career at 37, averaging 30.1 points per game on 52.3% from the field.
The Lakers remain in the final play-in spot in the Western Conference with eight games remaining, only one game up on the Spurs for the No. 10 seed.
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