Due to the groin injury LeBron James suffered on Christmas Day, it appears unlikely at this point that he’ll play when the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Utah Jazz on January 11th.
When LeBron James made the decision to join the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, one of the top things Utah Jazz fans were looking forward to was getting to potentially see him in Salt Lake City an extra time each year. And as a result, potentially increase his losing streak within Vivint Smart Home Arena even more rapidly.
LeBron has lost seven consecutive games on Utah’s home court dating back to his time with the Miami Heat. With two contests in Salt Lake City this year for the Lakers, the Utah faithful were hopeful that said streak would increase to nine. Unfortunately for Jazz fans, it appears quite likely that they’ll have to wait to see James in their building and that the most the streak will be able to increase to this season will be eight.
That’s because due to the groin injury that LeBron suffered in the Lakers’ Christmas Day game against the Golden State Warriors, he’s unlikely to suit up when LA comes to town on Friday, January 11th. According to several sources, James’ injury will be re-evaluated on the 11th, the exact same day that his team is scheduled to visit the Jazz, and he is not on their current road trip to Minnesota and Dallas.
Doesn’t look like LeBron James will be in Utah to face the Jazz on Friday, Jan. 11. https://t.co/rW1OSHmskD
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) January 4, 2019
Per @Lakers, @KingJames (strained groin) will not travel on the team’s upcoming two-game road trip and will be re-evaluated in one week. He’s still receiving daily treatment by the team’s training and medical staff and continues to progress with recovery.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) January 4, 2019
I suppose with James’ herculean powers and renowned healing abilities, he could very well be re-evaluated that day and determined fit to play. But when a player misses that much time, it’s typical that they sit out a while longer even after recovered so that they can practice with the team and get back into some semblance of game shape. Therefore, the overwhelming consensus is that it’s highly unlikely that James will be in action for that bout.
While it’s unfortunate for fans who purchased tickets expecting to see one of the greatest players of all time in action, this could actually be quite helpful for the Jazz. Utah has yet to get back above .500 since blowing several opportunities to do so, thus they’ll need all the wins they can get. Playing the Lakers without LeBron will be wildly helpful in allowing them to arise victorious.
After Lakers fall to 1-4 without LeBron James with a 119-112 home loss to 10-win Knicks, Lance Stephenson says: “I’ve got to pick it up. I’m going to put it all on me. I’ve got to be that veteran and leader to get my teammates going.” pic.twitter.com/MYoeg3rW0U
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) January 5, 2019
Not only that, but this could be a crucial contest for playoff positioning and potential tiebreakers. The Lakers eked out a win over the Jazz in the two teams’ first meeting putting them on top, but the Jazz could even the score here. Not to mention, in LeBron’s absence, LA has gone just 1-4, dropping them to eighth in the West, just two games ahead of Utah. That means that a win on the 11th could also be quite helpful for the Jazz’s surge up the standings.
Even if LeBron James isn’t able to suit up, as appears to be the most likely outcome, the Jazz will still need to be ready to go against a young and improving Lakers team that could give them troubles. Be sure to stay glued to TheJNotes.com for further updates on LeBron James’ injury status ahead of next Friday’s contest. If he’s unable to play on the 11th, he won’t play in Salt Lake City again until March 27th.