BOSTON — In seasons of struggle, the Lakers’ trip to Boston produced the kind of crowd noise that could match a smartwatch alarm. In seasons such as this one, where a June rematch isn’t hard to fathom, the decibels only go up.
But no amount of noise, no amount of tradition, no amount of atmosphere could save the Lakers from a future that instantly became uncertain when LeBron James sustained a groin strain during the Lakers’ 111-101 loss to Boston on Saturday night.
As the Lakers worked to come back from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter, James signaled to the Lakers bench for a timeout, the 40-year-old star grabbing at the inside of his left leg. As the Lakers’ huddled, James gingerly tried to stretch his groin muscle before walking across the court to meet with his trainer, Mike Mancias. James grimaced, frustratingly put his hands on his hips and slowly walked back to the locker room.
The injury came as the Lakers scrambled back into the game following a disastrous third quarter when they scored just four points in the first seven minutes.
After the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick said there is “obviously concern” about James’ injury, but didn’t provide any other details.
The Lakers (40-21) struggled to defend Boston All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the duo combining for 71 points, with Tatum scoring 40.
And although Luka Doncic finished with 34 points, he was late to make an impact, the Celtics’ defense swarming and forcing him into turnovers that led to easy Boston baskets. The Lakers turned the ball over 14 times for 16 Celtics points.
James finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.
The loss ended the Lakers’ eight-game winning streak.
While any reaction to the end of that streak is basically an overreaction, the loss against Boston (46-18) did highlight some of the issues the Lakers are still trying to solve as they transition into a team driven mostly by Doncic.
In his second game back after injuring his calf, Austin Reaves’ vanished from the game plan, at least as a playmaker. He had only two assists after finishing with none in the Lakers’ win over the Knicks.
Reaves scored 16, but the Lakers, who were without Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura because of minor knee injuries, couldn’t get another player into double figures.
The Lakers play the Nets on Monday night in Brooklyn.
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