With 3:56 remaining in regulation, All-Star Los Angeles Lakers small forward LeBron James departed LA’s ongoing matchup against the Sacramento Kings. It’s unclear exactly what the ailment was, but he was quickly replaced by point guard Spencer Dinwiddie in LA’s closing lineup, surrounded by James’ fellow starters.
It’s unclear what the ailment was. A grimacing James requested to leave the bout and walked straight to the locker room, without sitting on the bench, as the game was clearly out of reach.
The oldest player in the league finishes the game prematurely with 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field (1-of-4 from long range) and 10-of-10 shooting from the foul line, 13 assists, five rebounds, and one steal, and a regrettable-but-not-altogether-surprising -3 plus-minus.
Los Angeles trailed 122-108 at the time, and is now behind 130-116 with 1:35 remaining. The two clubs will meet again exactly one week from today. Barring an absolutely miraculous comeback in these final 95 seconds, Los Angeles will fall to 34-30 on the year, while Sacramento will improve to 35-26. With this presumed victory, Sacramento will now be 2.5 games ahead of LA in the win column.
Missing James for any major period of time could prove disastrous for the ninth-seeded Lakers, who will need every win they can get as they jockey to remain in the thick of the play-in hunt.
