Excitement was tempered after the Los Angeles Lakers soundly defeated the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day because they finished the win without LeBron James, who suffered a strained groin in the third quarter.
James attempted to stretch and remain in the game but walked gingerly to the locker room and never returned. There was optimism that James avoided serious injury, though that was later followed by a report that suggested the Lakers expected to be without him for a decent number of games.
Including Wednesday, James has missed eight games. He was considered day-to-day until last weekend when the Lakers announced he would not travel on the two-game road trip and was due to be re-evaluated on Friday.