LeBron exits with left groin injury; Lakers lose

BOSTON -- The Los Angeles Lakers' eight-game win streak came to an end Saturday against the Boston Celtics, 111-101. But they might have lost more than just the game.

Lakers star LeBron James exited with 6:44 remaining in the fourth quarter with what the team is calling a left groin strain and did not return.

James downplayed the injury saying there was "not much concern" and vowing to "go day to day" in treating it.

It is too early to project an accurate timetable for how long James could be out until he undergoes medical imaging, sources told ESPN. However one source said the initial thought is that the injury will sideline James for a matter of weeks, not a matter of days.

"I think we just have to continue to play hard and play defense," Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the loss.

James had just scored with 7:05 remaining to pull the Lakers within seven points, down 92-85, after they trailed by as many as 22 points. James said the injury occurred when he pivoted around the Celtics Jaylen Brown to score in the lane.

"Maybe extended it a little bit too much," James said.

The 22-year veteran said his mind immediately went to Christmas Day 2018 when he suffered a torn groin which caused him to miss the next 17 games, tanking L.A.'s momentum in his first season with the franchise.

"I've been there before and I know what type of injury you're dealing with," James said.

When asked to compare Saturday's injury to that one, James replied: "No, it's not as bad as that. It's not as bad as that."

Then he turned around and rapped his knuckles on the wooden locker behind him to not jinx himself with his prognosis. When James left the floor to go back to the locker room for evaluation, the Lakers trailed by nine. With Luka Doncic leading the charge, scoring 14 of his 34 points in the fourth, L.A. was able to cut the Celtics lead to just four before Boston pulled away for good.

"I looked at the score ... I was like, 'Oh s---,'" James said. "Those are moments you live for, especially in a game like this, not being out there. So, I was cheering on the guys while I was back here [in the locker room]."

He finished with 22 points on 11-for-23 shooting (0-for-6 from 3) with 14 rebounds and 9 assists.

"Obviously, to get injured at this time, those [groin] injuries are -- I don't want to say the worst, but they are tough to deal with," Doncic said. "So, just take his time and we got to have as a team a next-man-up mentality."

Los Angeles is entering a treacherous stretch of its schedule, playing six games in the next eight days -- including two games apiece against the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks.

Even with the loss, Los Angeles is still 18-4 in its last 22 games, No. 3 in the Western Conference standings -- just a half game behind No. 2 Denver.

James, who has played in 58 out of the Lakers' 62 games through Saturday, has been a huge part of their success, averaging 25.1 points on 51.8% shooting (39.1% from 3), 8.5 assists and 8.1 rebounds as a 40 year old.

However, Los Angeles has also been winning games with its team defense -- ranked No. 1 in defensive efficiency in the league since Jan. 30 -- and with the on-ball contributions of Doncic and Austin Reaves.

"We've had many situations where a player deals with some type of injury or a trade or whatever it is, and we've done a really good job of bouncing back," Reaves said. "And I don't expect anything else [now]."

James will continue to travel with the team on its four-game road trip, continuing in Brooklyn on Monday.

"We can compete versus anyone in this league," James said. "So we'll be fine. We got to continue to build our habits. We're not where [the Celtics] are, the defending champion. And they've been playing basketball together for a long time. And they got a great chemistry and know what they want to do. We made an acquisition late in the season, and we're still trying to build. And we want to get full. That's the No. 1 objective for us, how we can get full and get all our guys together and see exactly what we look like."