Source: NBA.com
The Lakers star was pulled out in the second quarter of the game with a high right ankle sprain which according to the Lakers will sideline him for a while. The Los Angeles side went on to fall 99-94 to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
The Lakers pubilicly stated 2 hours after the game that James will be out of games for a while pending his recovery. The defending NBA champions already are missing the All-NBA big man Anthony Davis, who has missed 14 consecutive games with a right calf injury and most likely won’t play again until April.
LeBron in his tweet on Saturday stated;
"Nothing angers and saddens me more than not being available to and for my teammates!”
“I’m hurt inside and out right now. The road back from recovery begins now. Back soon like I never left.” #ThekidfromAKRON🤴🏾
— LEBRON JAMES (@KINGJAMES) MARCH 21, 2021
The Star was hurt on saturday when he rolled his ankle under Solomon Hill, who was called for a foul as he impossibly reached for a steal. The Lakers superstar now 36, screamed and fell to the court clutching at his ankle, yet he manned up and briefly stayed in the game before being pulled out.
LeBron immediately grabbed at his right ankle after the collision on saturday game with Solomon Hill.
“I have never seen him scream that way probably ever, not even with that groin,” said Kyle Kuzma, who was with the Lakers when leBron missed 17 games with a groin injury two seasons ago. “It must have hurt a little bit, for sure.”
Fustrated, James knocked over a chair as he went to the locker room.
After the injury, James hit a corner 3-pointer that lengthened his NBA-record streak of games with at least 10 points to 1,036, but he called for a timeout and left the court shortly afterward.
“The mood of the team is we’re disappointed we lost, and we’ve got to come back and get one tomorrow,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “I won’t disclose what LeBron was like (in the locker room). It’s in-house.”
John Collins had 27 points and a season-high 16 rebounds, and Trae Young added 14 points and 11 assists for the Hawks. They opened an eight-game trip with their eighth straight victory under new coach Nate McMillan — but only after their defending champion opponents lost their 17-time All-Star to an injury that could shake the NBA’s balance of power if it turns out to be serious.
With LeBron James MIA, the remaining Lakers rallied and actually took held a one-point lead to halftime, but missed their first 11 shots of the second half. Danilo Gallinari scored 14 of his 18 points after halftime for the Hawks, who are on their longest winning streak since January 2015.
“That was the first thing I told the guys: We can’t just relax because LeBron is out of the game,” McMillan said. “We have got to keep up the pressure, and I thought our guys did that.”
LeBron James’ absence left the Lakers without three starters in the second half, which the Hawks didn't fail to capitalize on for their first road victory over Los Angeles since March 2016. Along with Davis, Marc Gasol missed his seventh straight game since February after sitting out under the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
High ankle sprains normally take anywhere from six weeks to three months to heal, although recovery rates vary.
The Lakers’ final regular season game comes up in roughly two months, precisely on May 16.
LeBron missed just one game this season, when a left ankle sprain kept him out against the Kings in the final game before the All-Star break. He hasn’t missed significant time since a hamstring injury whic cost him 17 straight games midway through the 2018-19 season.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, it will mark only the fifth time in James LeBron 18-year career that he’s missed at least five consecutive games.
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