Despite all that has happened over the past few months, the L.A. Lakers may have just experienced their worst night of the season.
Even after getting the victory against New Orleans, L.A. was sent to the play-in tournament by Portland, who also won their game on Sunday night.
To make matters even worse, LeBron James may have tweaked his ankle again — the same one that has been causing him trouble all year long.
Oh no… LeBron looks like he slightly rolls his same ankle that he’s been having problems with. https://t.co/WRn1qlNQfa
— . (@TheNBACentral) May 17, 2021
Obviously, there isn’t much hope of L.A. getting very far without LeBron James at 100%. On Twitter, fans recognized the impact of what this latest incident could have on the Laker’s title hopes.
LeBron James checks out of the game after appearing to tweak the same ankle that caused him to miss 22 of the Lakers' last 26 games. He was playing in the 4th Q even though L.A. was already all but assured the 7th seed, with Denver down 20-plus in the final minutes in POR.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 17, 2021
LEBRON JUST TURNED HIS ANKLE AGAIN, OR SO IT APPEARED. BUT WHY WAS HE STILL IN THIS GAME UP 13 WITH 6:35 LEFT AND PORTLAND BLOWING OUT DENVER??? NOT VOGEL'S FAULT. LEBRON'S FAULT. HE PUTS HIMSELF IN GAMES AND TAKES HIMSELF OUT.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 17, 2021
https://twitter.com/LakeShowYo/status/1394128099357315074
Is Lebron’s ankle okay?!?!?! I pic.twitter.com/lOCNZOdbpi
— Franchise98bn (@Franchise98bn) May 17, 2021
Lebron really getting old he getting injuries so much recently https://t.co/8KVVBlT4x9
— Chris Joestar (@Doesitreallly) May 17, 2021
The good news is, his ankle seems to be fine, and James should be ready for his upcoming match against the Warriors.
Frank Vogel on LeBron's ankle: "He said he's good to go. No issues."
— Bill Oram (@billoram) May 17, 2021
In the past, he has always been there for his team and has always been quick to return in the event of an injury. This time, though, there was genuine concern that his ankle could compromise his performance in the playoffs.
At 36-years-old, with almost two decades of mileage on his body, it’s no surprise to see his body finally start to have some trouble keeping up.
Of course, that doesn’t mean we should count him out completely, After all, he has given us plenty of reason to give him the benefit of the doubt before…
