The Celtics ended Lakers' eight-game winning streak.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ (40-22) eight-game winning streak came to an end on Saturday, March 8. The second-seeded Western Conference side went down 111-101 to defending champions Boston Celtics in the first of their four-match road trip.
The loss wasn’t the only setback for the Lakers, who were clearly riding high on confidence on the back of their red-hot form. Their superstar LeBron James, who has been one of the driving forces for the team, sustained a groin injury midway during the fourth quarter and was sidelined for the rest of the game.
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James, 40, walked out of the court and later it was announced that he would not return for the remainder of the game. Needless to say, James’ absence had an instant impact on the side, as they recorded their first loss in nine games. James had entered the game on the back of a solid average of 29.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in the last eight fixtures.
The 21-time All-Star contributed 22 points, a game-high 14 rebounds and nine assists before he was sidelined during Saturday’s game. Talking about his availability for the upcoming games, Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported that the injury is expected to keep James out for a few weeks.
Later, Shams Charania gave some updates on LeBron James’ potential absence.
He stated that James was expected to miss 1-to-2 weeks due to his groin strain but was re-evaluated on Monday, once his pain decreased. Following his re-evaluation, there was a positive update stating that James was back in Los Angeles and has been doing great in terms of recovery.
However, as per the latest update from Shams, the 21-time NBA All-Star will miss another week of action. It means that the Lakers, who locked horns with the Nuggets on Friday, March 14, might see James’ absence till their clash against the Bulls on Saturday, March 22.
In his absence, Luka Doncic has been expected to shoulder the scoring responsibility for the side. The Slovenian topped the scoring sheet on Saturday as he finished with 34 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Following that game, he came up with 22 points against the Nets and 45 points against the Bucks.
However, the former Mavs star missed the Nuggets game with left calf injury management and right ankle sprain.
Notably, the four-time NBA champion is averaging 25 points, 8.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game this season.
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