LOS ANGELES — LeBron James knocked over an empty chair, a silent Staples Center somehow even quieter as he limped his way to the Lakers’ locker room.
His day was over after 10 minutes, the Lakers’ best two players now unavailable and the team forced again to wait on results that will dictate the team’s future.
Without James, the Lakers lost to the Atlanta Hawks, 99-94, on Saturday afternoon.
Montrezl Harrell tried to pick up the load, finishing with 23 points on 11-of-14 shooting and 11 rebounds in the loss, which ended a four-game winning streak since returning from the All-Star break. Dennis Schroder contributed 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, although he had six turnovers.
John Collins led the Hawks with 27 points, 16 rebounds and three steals. Danilo Gallinari added 18 points while Trae Young finished with 14 points and 11 assists.
James has injured his ankles before — he’s been on the team’s injury report with a sore left ankle since the season opener. On Saturday afternoon, after he went to the court in agony, grabbing at his lower right leg, James did what he always does. He rose to his feet, bent over, re-laced his sneakers and kept playing.
His ankles are legendary around NBA circles, bionic joints that can somehow withstand any type of contortion.
But when Atlanta’s Solomon Hill slammed his body alongside James’ right leg, forcing his ankle to fold inward, James went to the court and screamed. The player who refuses to accept fatigue because it exposes weakness was on the ground, grabbing at his leg while his howls echoed around an empty arena.
Before the Lakers’ anxiety could reach its peak, James gave his team a sliver of hope.
As the bench slowly emptied to gather around the Lakers’ leader and biggest star, James stood up and hobbled his way across the court. He walked from one end of the bench to the other, stopping to try to stretch out his right ankle before staying in the game.
On his first play back, James caught a pass in the corner opposite his bench and drilled a 3-pointer, landing without putting any weight on his right foot. After the Lakers’ following defensive possession, James accepted the pain and asked to be taken out of the game, slamming a chair to the floor on his way to the locker room.
Anthony Davis and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka eventually followed him.
James left the game with 10 points and four assists, preserving a streak of 1,036-straight games with at least 10 points — the longest in NBA history.
The Lakers will play the Suns on Sunday in Phoenix, their second game in a stretch where they play seven times in 11 days.
Davis, who has been out for more than a month with right calf and Achilles injuries, is set to be reevaluated by team doctors at the end of next week.
Starting center Marc Gasol is no longer in the health and safety protocols, but since he’s not played since Feb. 28, his return hasn’t been determined. He was able to go through a pregame on-court workout.
