Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will not need surgery to treat his injured right foot, Bleacher Report said Thursday.
Still, the Lakers expect James to miss “multiple weeks,” The Athletic reported.
James, 38, scored 26 points in the Lakers’ 111-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, but he twisted his right foot when he stepped on an opponent’s foot in the third quarter. He was able to finish the game but was clearly still in pain afterward.
The 19-time All-Star is averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 47 games this season.
After a 2-10 start, the Lakers are 30-33 on the season and have climbed into 11th place in the Western Conference, one game out of the final spot in the play-in round. However, with 19 games left — 14 of them against conference foes — the Lakers are still in the hunt for a guaranteed playoff spot.
The sixth and final playoff berth currently is held by the Los Angeles Clippers, who are just 2.5 games ahead of their in-city rivals.
The Lakers begin a five-game homestand on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who sit eighth in the conference and 1.5 games up on the Lakers.
–Field Level Media