LeBron James, who has been out for the past week due to a groin strain sustained during last weekend’s game against the Boston Celtics, will remain sidelined for at least another week, according to ESPN. The injury occurred in the midst of the Los Angeles Lakers’ attempt to mount a fourth-quarter comeback against Boston, and things have only worsened for them since. The Lakers lost that game to the Celtics, with James unable to finish, and then proceeded to lose their next three games against the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Denver Nuggets.
The upcoming schedule doesn’t offer much relief. Starting Sunday, the Lakers will play four games in five days, and with the sixth-toughest remaining schedule in the NBA, these games without James are particularly challenging. Once holding the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the Lakers have now dropped to No. 5. They are tied with the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, and Houston Rockets in the loss column, all with 25 losses, but the Lakers have three fewer wins. It will be tough to secure victories without James, especially considering that starting forward Rui Hachimura is also out, though he’s expected to return within the week.
