The Lakers say LeBron James has a tendon injury in his right foot and will be reevaluated in about three weeks, the team’s first official statement since James was injured Sunday in Dallas.
The Lakers play ten times in three weeks, eight of them at home. With 19 games left in the regular season, the Lakers are ranked 11th in the Western Conference and must move to 10th to qualify for the NBA play-in tournament or sixth for an automatic playoff bid. They are currently one game behind the New Orleans Pelicans in 10th place and 2.5 games behind the Clippers in sixth place.
James suffered the non-contact injury against the Mavericks and said he heard “a bang”. He stayed in the game and the Lakers managed to win. Without James, the Lakers split back-to-back games in Memphis and Oklahoma City to end their journey 2-1.
James attended the Lakers game in Memphis on Tuesday in a protective hiking boot on his right foot.
In 47 games this season, James has averaged 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists.
The Lakers are also still without guard D’Angelo Russell, who injured his ankle against the Golden State Warriors last week. They host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday at the Crypto.com Arena.
