Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James will be sidelined for at least three weeks after suffering a tendon injury in his right foot Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks, the team announced Thursday.
James hurt his ankle trying to get past Dwight Powell in the third quarter of Sunday’s game. While James was able to finish the game, his movement was clearly affected by the injury. James finished the night with 26 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter, eight rebounds and three assists.
James, 38, has missed 16 games with the Lakers this season, including the last two. For the season, he has averaged 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game.
The challenge for the Lakers going forward will be to stay in the play-in chase with James out. The Lakers (30-33) are currently just one game back of the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, but nine of their next 12 games will be against teams higher than them in the standings.
Until James is cleared to play again, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell are expected to lead the Lakers. Davis and Russell were sidelined during the Lakers’ win over the No. 13 Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, but Davis is expected to be available to play Friday against the No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves.
Russell is still dealing with a sprained ankle he suffered against the Golden State Warriors on March 23. He told ESPN on Wednesday that he will not be available to face his former team on Friday.
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