OAKLAND, Calif. _ With LeBron James playing for two and a half quarters, the Los Angeles Lakers built a big lead over the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
With him sidelined, the Lakers faltered and nearly let the lead evaporate, but just as quickly they rebuilt that lead to double digits in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers (20-14) eventually thrashed the Warriors (23-12) on Christmas Day, beating them 127-101.
James strained his left groin during the third quarter. With 7:51 remaining in the quarter, James left the court with his trainer Mike Mancias and Lakers head trainer Marco Nunez. While Nunez returned to the court, Mancias remained in the locker room with James for the rest of the game.
A source with knowledge of the situation but not authorized to speak publicly said an initial examination indicated James has a slight strain and is not expected to be sidelined very long. James will undergo an MRI exam soon.
James finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers with 19 points while Ivica Zubac added 18. The Warriors were led by Andre Iguodala, who scored 23 points.
The Lakers had a 14-point lead when James exited the game, built on defense that forced the Warriors into bad shots, especially from three-point range. At halftime, the Warriors had only made five of 22 three-point shots and trailed by 15.
James hasn't missed a game since the end of the 2016-17 season when he rested for the final two games of the regular season. James played in all 82 games last season.
The season before that he played in 74 games, sitting out some games to get rest. During his 16-year career, James has never missed more than 20 games in a season, and rarely because of injury.
