Then, LeBron James returned to the lineup on Sunday night and led the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory as if nothing had happened.
James finished just short of a triple-double and appeared to be back to his old self in the Lakers’ 116-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena. He had 18 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in the victory.
James missed last Sunday’s victory over the Portland Trail Blazers by a foot for the first time. James then missed time in practice last week, including one that was tagged simply for “personal reasons.” He also didn’t play in Friday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and coach JJ Redick seemed to have no idea when he would be back on the court.
But before the game, Redick revealed that he and James talked about the star taking some time off to recover from his left foot injury, something that seemed much needed.
“I played 15 (seasons) and I was emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted, fried. I put everything I had into this game,” Redick said. . “I had nothing left. For guys like him and (Chris Paul), the Tom Bradys of the world, the Roger Federers of the world, it’s hard to fathom having that level of excellence sustained for so long, because of the toll it takes on all of you, not just your body.”
The Lakers, who built a 20-point lead at one point in the third quarter, looked as if they were going to pull off a dominant victory Sunday night. But the game almost changed completely when star big man Anthony Davis suffered a shoulder injury during that period after colliding with Grizzlies center Zach Edey.
Davis briefly left the game to go to the locker room, and the Grizzlies almost immediately cut the game to single digits. They finished the third quarter on a 16-5 run after Davis also left the game.
But Davis returned to the game in the fourth quarter to close out the victory from start to finish. He matched season highs with 40 points and 16 rebounds for the Lakers. Austin Reaves finished with 19 points and eight assists. Those two and James were the only Lakers players to reach double figures.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 25 points in the loss. Ja Morant finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Edey finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Memphis, which is now 18-9 on the season.
The Lakers improved to 14-12 with the victory, which was just their second in their last six games. Although his sudden absence may have been concerning, James insisted after the game that he was in a good place from a health standpoint. After taking a week off, and given that the Lakers won’t play again until Thursday when they face the Sacramento Kings, he should be ready.