Los Angeles Lakers 40-year-old superstar LeBron James left the third quarter and never returned as he appeared to re-aggravate his groin injury in their 140-109 blowout win over the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets on Friday.
Lakers coach JJ Redick, however, allayed concerns about James’ health heading into the postseason after they clinched the No. 3 seed and host a playoff series in Los Angeles for the first time since 2012.
“He’s fine,” Redick told reporters. “He’s fine. Yeah, he’s fine.”
James was not available to the media after the Lakers won 50 games for just the second time in 14 years. He scored 14 points before sitting out the final 19 minutes of their second straight win against the Rockets, a potential second-round opponent if they both advance.
Big WIN for the Lakers to claim the 3rd seed
Concern moving forward would be for LeBron James’ aggravated a groin injury
Lakers will have over a week off before the start of the playoffs pic.twitter.com/S7rQcKFbLZ
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) April 12, 2025
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James missed seven games in March due to a left groin muscle strain. With the Lakers skipping the play-in tournament, it will give James a week rest before the playoffs.
Their first-round opponent will be either the Golden State Warriors or Minnesota Timberwolves depending on the outcome of their Sunday’s season-finale games.
Getting Lakers’ Big 3 on the Same Page
The Lakers did not need James to carry much of the offensive load against the Rockets as Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves took care of that.
Dončić scored 39 points while Reaves added 23 for the Lakers, who clinched the Pacific Division title for only the second time in the last 13 seasons.
“I think this last week and a half, we have really found a nice rhythm not just individually but within what we’re trying to do and playing together and using each other to create advantages,” said Redick of the Lakers’ Big 3.
Redick held a private meeting with Doncic, James and Reaves in Memphis on March 29 to get them on the same page. The result was a 6-2 record since that crucial meeting to clinch the No. 3 seed after they slipped from No. 2 last month.
And Redick recognized the work isn’t done and the biggest challenge awaits them in the postseason. He said they already started preparing for the playoffs even before the Rockets game.
“We spent about 45 minutes this morning starting to just map out,” Redick told reporters. “We obviously don’t know when we’re going to play but starting to map out next week and it’s going to be important over the next eight days to stay in that rhythm and we have to be smart about it but there’s still got to be some work next week.”
Skipping the play-in also has its challenges especially when it comes to rest versus rust.
“We want to prioritize rest and recovery of course but we got to also stay in that rhythm,” Redick said.
JJ Redick Matches Pat Riley’s Record
Redick, who raised few eyebrows when he took on the Lakers job after he was compared to Pat Riley, the Lakers’ ‘Showtime era’ coach.
But he’s been living up to the expectations as he became the first Lakers rookie head coach to win 50 games and clinch the Pacific Division title since the legendary Riley, who led the franchise to four NBA titles in the 1980s.
“Just incredibly proud of our team,” Redick said. “It’s an accomplishment to win 50 games in the regular season in any year. I think particularly in this year, in this Western Conference, it is. And it’s a credit to our players. Each one at different points in time has contributed to winning. They’ve all participated in a winning culture.”
