LeBron James left the first half of the Los Angeles Lakers’ elimination Game 4 contest against the OKC Thunder with a potential injury. The four-time MVP seemed in discomfort in the last minute of the second quarter and walked around gingerly. James apparently suffered an ankle sprain.
James stepped on Jaxson Hayes’ leg as the two guarded a pick-and-roll between Chet Holmgren and Ajay Mitchell. He tightened his shoe, but it didn’t seem good as James grimaced in pain.
Here’s the video:
James and the Lakers trailed by four entering the second. It would be a tough loss for the Lakers if he can’t return or isn’t at 100%. LA has struggled to sustain its resiliency in the third quarters throughout this series and without James, the team’s hopes of overturning that in this do-or-die matchup would slim further.
If LeBron James can’t return, his night will finish with a 19-minute outing in which he tallied 10 points and six rebounds on 3 of 9 shots.
LeBron James starts second half amid injury concerns
LeBron James started the second half of Monday’s Game 4 despite injury concerns in the first half. The 41-year-old seemingly shrugged it off, but in the initial minutes of the third quarter, James didn’t look as explosive as he did to start the game.
The Lakers were down 12 nearly five minutes into the frame, forcing JJ Redick to call his first timeout of the second half. James didn’t impact the box score in that stretch. However, as the half progressed, James looked more comfortable.
He had 14 points, six rebounds and two assists in that period on 5 of 9 shots, including 2 of 4 from deep. James finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and three assists, but the Lakers lost 115-110 despite holding a one-point lead with 41 seconds left.
LeBron James missed a clutch floater to give the Lakers the lead again with 20 seconds left, and OKC capitalized down the stretch to win Game 4 and complete the series sweep.
