LeBron James moved gingerly to the bench, grabbing toward the inside of his left leg midway through the third quarter.
This, for the Lakers, was the worst-case scenario on a night where they could lock up their best-case scenario for the playoffs.
A win against the Rockets with Houston sitting 80% of its starting lineup would lock the Lakers into the No. 3 seed, giving them and their starters an extended rest heading into the first-round of the playoffs that would begin in more than a week inside their building.
But losing James to a groin injury?