Dave McMenamin | ESPN writerReading: 3 min.
The Lakers’ good streak is in jeopardy with the absence of LeBron James
After posting three big wins with their best basketball of the season, the Lakers will have to find a way to keep their momentum going without their biggest star, who will miss several weeks with a foot injury.
James is undergoing further tests and evaluations to determine the full extent of the injury he sustained in the Lakers’ win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
The Lakers previously announced that James will miss Tuesday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies with soreness in his right leg.
James, 38, walked with a noticeable limp after the Mavs game. Late in the third quarter of a game against Dallas’ Dwight Powell, he fell to the floor in pain. He told ESPN’s Katie George during an on-court interview after the game that he thought he stepped on Powell’s foot, causing the upset; However, replays showed it was an unrelated injury.
James finished the game, scoring 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter as L.A. won its third straight game to move up to No. 10 in the Western Conference. No. Games after Dallas at 6.
During All-Star Weekend, James called the Lakers’ season finale the “23 biggest games” of his career. However, it looks like he will miss many of those games as LA tries to get back to the postseason.
James missed three straight games before the All-Star break with soreness in his left foot and ankle.
Additionally, the Lakers announced starting point guard D’Angelo Russell as questionable for the Memphis game. Russell Mavs missed the game with a sprained right ankle.
LA wraps up its three-game road trip with a second straight night against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday before returning home to host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
