All went well for the Lakers in the first half of their Christmas Day game against the Warriors, which saw them lead 65-50 at the end of two quarters.
Then LeBron James went down.
With just over eight minutes remaining in the third quarter, James lost his footing in the paint and appeared to tweak his left groin. Following a Lakers timeout, James was removed from the game and did not return.
Depending on your lip-reading skills, it appeared to be a significant injury at first glance, as James could be seen mouthing, "I heard it pop."
LeBron James: 'I felt it pop'
He went back to the locker room with an apparent groin injury pic.twitter.com/hrBu1PwbiP— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) December 26, 2018
However, the Lakers got some good news following their dominant 127-101 victory over the reigning champs, as it seems James avoided the worst.
Sports
Yahoo Sources: An initial exam on LeBron James reveals all is intact and that it's a slight groin strain. It could have been worse.— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 26, 2018
Los Angeles held a 14-point lead at the time of James' exit. They nearly doubled that after his removal, as the Lakers outscored the Warriors 36-19 in the fourth quarter.
James will undergo an MRI on Wednesday, according to Lakers coach Luke Walton.
Luke Walton said LeBron will undergo an MRI tomorrow on the strained groin.— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 26, 2018
