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LeBron James and the LA Lakers suffered their third straight defeat on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers slipped to 16-16 for the season and to make matters worse, James suffered an ankle injury during the game.
With 6:05 left in the third quarter, James rolled his left ankle after stepping on the foot of Jae Crowder. A foul was called, but James was visibly upset by the injury. He clutched his left ankle in pain and even punched the floor several times. As for someone who has been called soft, James fought through the pain and stayed in the game.
In the postgame interview, James alleviated fears as he gave an update on his injured left ankle. The soon-to-be 37-year-old superstar assured everyone that he's fine and he'll be playing on Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs.
"Yeah, I'll be ready for next game,'' James said.
The LA Lakers are in trouble if James misses time due to the ankle injury. Anthony Davis is already out for a month, while some players are still in the NBA's health and safety protocols.
The Lakers would have been fearing the worst when James crumpled to the floor. It was the same ankle that LeBron rolled against the Dallas Mavericks last week. He stepped on Kristaps Porzingis' foot, but remained on the floor and played the next game.
Big night for LeBron James not enough for LA Lakers to defeat the Phoenix Suns
LeBron James had a big game against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, scoring 24 points with seven rebounds and two assists. But his efforts went in vain as the Suns cruised to a 108-90 win. The game was tight in the first half, but the Suns had a big third quarter, outscoring the Lakers 31-21 and pulled away in the fourth, 23-17.
It was a total team effort by Phoenix, with seven players scoring in double digits. The Suns were led by Devin Booker, who had 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. DeAndre Ayton added 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Chris Paul had 11 points and nine assists.
Meanwhile, LeBron James barely had any help aside from Russell Westbrook and Trevor Ariza. Westbrook had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Ariza scored 12 points in his second game of the season.
Isaiah Thomas, who played his third game since making his NBA comeback, had the worst shooting night of his career. He shot just 1-for-11 from the field, making one free throw for three points. Talen Horton-Tucker also struggled as he shot 1-for-13.
With Anthony Davis out for a month due to a knee injury, the LA Lakers will rely on LeBron James a lot more. The Lakers are 16-16 this season and currently sit seventh in the Western Conference standings.
