Then, LeBron James returned to the lineup on Sunday night and led the Los Angeles Lakers to a win as if nothing had happened.
James finished just short of a triple-double and looked largely back to his old self in the Lakers’ 116-110 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena. He had 18 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in the win.
James missed last Sunday’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers with a shop foot for the first time. James then missed time in training last week, including one that was simply labeled for ‘personal reasons’. He also did not play in Friday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and coach JJ Redick appeared to have no idea when he would be back on the field.
But before the game, Redick revealed that he and James talked about the star taking time off to recover from his left foot injury — something that sounded like it was much-needed.
“I played fifteen [seasons] and was emotionally, mentally, physically exhausted, fried. I put everything I had into this game,” Redick said. “I had nothing left. For guys like him and [Chris Paul]Tom Bradys of the world, the Roger Federers of the world, it’s hard to fathom having that level of sustained excellence for so long because of the toll it takes on all of you, and not just your bodies.”
The Lakers, who built a 20-point lead at one point in the third quarter, appeared to be on their way to a dominant victory on Sunday night. But the game almost turned completely when star big man Anthony Davis went down with a shoulder injury during that period after colliding with Grizzlies center Zach Edey.
Davis briefly left the game and went to the locker room, and the Grizzlies got the game back to single digits almost immediately. They ended the third quarter on a 16-5 run after Davis also left the game.
But Davis returned to the game in the fourth quarter to seal the wire-to-wire victory. He tied season highs with 40 points and 16 rebounds for the Lakers. Austin Reaves finished with 19 points and eight assists. Those two and James were the only Lakers players to reach double figures.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 25 points in the loss. Ja Morant finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Edey finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. The loss snapped a four-game win streak for Memphis, which is now 18-9 on the season.
The Lakers improved to 14-12 with the win, which was just their second in their last six games. While his sudden absence may have been concerning, James insisted after the match that he was in a good place health-wise. After taking a week off, and with the Lakers not playing again until Thursday when they take on the Sacramento Kings, he should be good to go.
