LeBron James 'Fine' After Injury Scare in Lakers' Win vs. Rockets, HC JJ Redick Says

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is going to be okay after leaving Friday's win over the Houston Rockets midway through the third quarter.

Head coach JJ Redick told reporters after the game that James is "fine."

There was concern when James subbed out that he may have aggravated his hip or the groin injury that kept him out of action last month. ESPN's Dave McMenamin noted the four-time MVP appeared to be favoring his left side and he was wearing a wrap near his quad/hip area.

Things seemed to be okay for James by the end of the game, based on his celebration from the bench area in the fourth quarter when Austin Reaves made a three.

James suffered a groin injury that sidelined him for two weeks before his return on March 22. He scored 17 points in a 146-115 loss to the Chicago Bulls.

When asked after the game if he's fully recovered, James said of the injury, "I just take it day by day. I hope it's behind [me], but I don't want to go too far in the future."

Besides his groin injury, the 40-year-old has been relatively healthy this season. He's appeared in 70 games while showing no signs of his age catching up to him, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds.

With James leading the team, the Lakers clinched the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference after Friday's win. This allows James to sit out the regular-season finale on Sunday, giving him additional rest before they open the playoffs on April 19 or 20.

The midseason acquisition of Luka Dončić has taken so much of the burden off James' shoulders. They are heading into the playoffs with a lot of positive momentum in search of their first trip to the NBA Finals since the 2019-20 season.