Lakers star LeBron James will miss Monday’s game against the SUNS with an injury and could be out for another week, according to Shams. The Lakers have lost three straight games since James was injured. NBA analyst Tim Legler was forthright on ESPN when he pointed out that the Lakers had lost all the momentum they had built up after losing James.
“Without LeBron James, the Lakers are not as physical as they can be,” Legler said. All the momentum they had built up, it’s completely gone.”
Looking back at the Lakers’ recent games, James left the game early against the Celtics with a groin strain. Before that, the Lakers had won eight straight to climb into second place in the Western Conference. However, after James was injured, the Lakers lost not only to the Celtics, but also to the Nets and Bucks, and are now 40-24, temporarily fourth in the Western Conference.
So far this season, James has averaged 25.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks in 34.9 minutes per game. His absence has undoubtedly had a huge impact on the overall strength of the Lakers.
The Lakers will face a more daunting challenge, as they need to quickly adjust without James and regain their momentum to cope with the next games.
