On Sunday evening, LeBron James was unavailable to the Los Angeles Lakers for the third year in a row. The reason is persistent knee problems, but it is unclear whether the 37-year-old will be out for a longer time.
In the 121:129 defeat of the Lakers against the Atlanta Hawks, the third loss in a row, LeBron was no longer on the bench. The Lakers superstar had already traveled back to LA on Saturday and thus missed the last game of his team’s East Coast trip.
For the third time in a row he was unable to play due to problems in his left knee. An MRI scan revealed a “general swelling,” as Lakers coach Frank Vogel explained. Vogel was unable to provide any concrete information on whether LeBron is in danger of being out for a longer period of time.
“As long as the swelling is there, he won’t play,” said the head coach. “We will get him back as soon as possible.” Apparently, a comeback against the Portland Trail Blazers, the first Lakers home game after the east coast trip on Thursday night, is an option: “We’ll watch it day by day.”
The 18-time All-Star’s knee problems are not due to a specific scene, as Vogel assured. Instead, LeBron woke up in Philadelphia last Thursday with pain in his left knee.
Previously, James was in the midst of a hot streak, having scored at least 25 points in 18 straight games. In most of these games, the Lakers were missing Anthony Davis through injury, which is why LA relied on many minutes from LeBron, only three players in the association rip more minutes on average (36.6).
In his 19th season in the NBA, LeBron is averaging 29.1 points – the third best in the league -, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game with shooting rates of 52.2 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from Downtown. Despite the franchise star’s strong individual performances, the Lakers’ season has been disappointing. Losing 8 of their last 11 games, LA sits 9th in the West with a 24-27 record. Without James, the Lakers are 5-10.
