Lakers' LeBron James Questionable vs. Trail Blazers With Calf Injury
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is questionable for Sunday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers with a left calf contusion, according to ESPN's Baxter Holmes.
James suffered the injury on Friday in a 122-119 win against the Phoenix Suns. However, he returned to the floor despite the ailment and dominated with 32 points, 11 rebounds and six dimes.
"It never loosened up," James told reporters of his shin after the game. "[It] pretty much locked up right then and there. So I tried to keep my composure, make sure I was OK and try to keep it stretched out and as loose as possible and play the game and be effective.
"Pretty sore right now. Obviously because the adrenaline is calming down and iced it, now it's pretty sore."
Losing James for any amount of time is a devastating blow to the Lakers. The 19-time All-Star, 19-time All-NBA player, four-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA champion has shown no signs of slowing down at the age of 38 and in his 21st NBA season.
James has averaged 25.2 points on 56.9 percent shooting, 8.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 35.0 minutes through nine contests.
He understandably played an invaluable role in guiding the seventh-seed Lakers to the Western Conference Finals last year, and his presence makes the Lakers title contenders once again.
Without James, the onus will be on big man Anthony Davis to pick up the scoring slack, while players such as D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves should assume more ball-handling duties. Cam Reddish and Rui Hachimura could each see more playing time as well.
