The Los Angeles Lakers essentially sabotaged their season and their chances of reaching the play-in tournament when they blew a 23-point lead and fell to the New Orleans Pelicans.
To add injury to insult, LeBron James sprained his ankle in the second quarter, just as he was playing extremely well and catapulting L.A. to its big lead.
He remained in the contest and still managed to pour in the points as he remained hot from the outside.
James finished with an efficient 39 points, but his team finished with a 116-108 loss that could single-handedly cost it a chance at the postseason.
After the game, James admitted his ankle felt horrible.
LeBron James on his ankle: "I have no idea how I finished the game. … It was pretty nasty."
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) March 28, 2022
LeBron James did his ankle feels “horrible” after finishing the game on it. He had it wrapped but was able to walk – slowly – without crutches to his postgame interview.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 28, 2022
"It's a microcosm of our season." LeBron James on tweaking his ankle in tonight's game and his outlook on the remainder of the #LakeShow's season. @LakersReporter pic.twitter.com/zIGUKcSwZb
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 28, 2022
After turning his ankle, James noticeably did not push the ball or attack the basket, and his method of attack offensively was largely limited to dribbling around the perimeter and jacking up 3-pointers.
It’s the latest in a long string of injuries for the Lakers this season, mostly to James and Anthony Davis, their two superstars.
With one of the toughest remaining schedules in the NBA, the last thing the Lakers need is James being forced to sit games or even being limited.
