The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs for the second straight year on Wednesday night, falling to the underdog Minnesota Timberwolves in five games.
The Lakers were unable to take advantage of the Timberwolves’ historically poor shooting night and were defeated 103-96 at home despite a near-triple-double from Luka Doncic (28 points, nine assists, seven rebounds).
As it turns out, even if Los Angeles had been able to force a Game 6, they would’ve likely been severely shorthanded for the rest of the series against Minnesota and possibly beyond that.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported on Friday afternoon that four-time MVP LeBron James suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee during the fourth quarter on Wednesday. The injury occurred with 8:39 remaining in regulation when Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo was called for an offensive foul after colliding with James’ left knee in the lane.
The 40-year-old forward briefly subbed out of the contest following the injury and was looked at by athletic trainer Mike Mancias, but checked back into the game at the 7:23 mark and played the rest of the way.
Per McMenamin’s report, the sprain has a three-to-five-week recommended recovery timeline.
Lakers Loss Keeps James’ Record Playoff Streak Intact
James has suited up for an NBA-record 292 straight postseason games without missing any due to injury. According to McMenamin’s report, that streak would’ve “assuredly” ended if Los Angeles had forced a Game 6.
If the Lakers had been victorious on Wednesday, the series would’ve shifted to Minneapolis for Game 6 on Friday night, with a do-or-die Game 7 slated for Sunday back at Crypto.com Arena.
James finished the Game 5 loss with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists on 9-for-21 shooting (1-for-5 on three-pointers) in 40 minutes, but recorded a game-worst plus-minus of -14.
What’s Next For James, Lakers?
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer was asked about his future in the immediate aftermath of the defeat and initially said he was uncertain of his plans.
“I don’t have an answer to that,” James said, per Mike Trudell of Spectrum SN. “I’ll sit down with my wife, family and support group … have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. We’ll see.”
It was reported on Thursday that the Lakers were expecting LBJ to return to the team for the 2025-26 season, which would be the Akron, Ohio native’s 23rd campaign.
ESPN’s Shams Charania further reported that if James were to return to Los Angeles, it would possibly come by opting into his $52.6 million player option.
The 21-time All-Star finished the regular season averaging 24.4 points (his lowest since his rookie campaign) across 70 games and 34.9 minutes per contest, but also contributed 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per tilt with a .513/.376/.782 shooting line. James’ 78.2% free throw percentage was the best of his career.
He posted 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 40.8 minutes per contest across the five-game playoff series against the Timberwolves with a .489/.357/.775 triple slash.
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