Report: After suffering groin injury vs. Warriors, LeBron James expected to miss 'several games'

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Gilbert McGregor
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According to a new report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst, the Los Angeles Lakers are expecting LeBron James to miss "several games" with a left groin strain.


While James' status was deemed as "day-to-day" after an MRI, Windhorst and Wojnarowski report that team is being extremely cautious considering the severity of the injury and James unfamiliarity with the treatment.

"A timeline for James' return is further complicated by the fact that he has never had to navigate this severe of a groin injury and still needs to gain an understanding of how his body will respond to treatment."

James tweeted about his injury on Wednesday, saying he "dodged a bullet" and that he'll be back in no time.

 

James appeared to have suffered the injury early in the third quarter of the Lakers' Christmas Day game against the Golden State Warriors, as an awkward change in direction caused him to lose his footing. The 14-time All-Star was visibly affected as he came up grimacing in discomfort.

James hobbled back to the Lakers' locker room alongside two of the team's athletic trainers; at the time of the injury, he had a team-high 17 points to go along with 13 rebounds and five assists in 21 minutes.

The Lakers went on to win without James, beating the Warriors by a final score of 127-101.

The team announced Wednesday that the 16-year veteran will not travel with the team on its trip to Sacramento for Thursday's game.


With James sitting out Thursday, his streak of having played in 156 consecutive games (regular season and postseason) will officially come to an end.

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Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News.