JAMES ON BOARD WITH LAKERS’ TRADES
LeBron James had missed the previous three games because of left ankle soreness, which led to an MRI exam on the ankle and his foot last Thursday that showed “no structural damage,” the Lakers forward said after playing 29 minutes and 13 seconds on Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena.
James had 21 points, six rebounds and six assists in limited minutes during the Lakers’ 120-102 win over the Pelicans.
He will play Sunday in the All-Star Game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. His next game with the Lakers will be in Los Angeles on Feb. 23 against the Golden State Warriors.
The key to the Lakers season, as they try to move from 13th place in the West into a postseason spot among the conference’s top 10, will be James’ health.
“No stress reaction. No stress fracture. No bone chips or breaks or anything like that,” James said about the MRI after the win. “It was just something that had to calm down from last Tuesday. So, I was able to obviously not stress it as much because I haven’t been able to play the last couple games, or the last three games, I believe it was, and got some really good work in in Portland.
“I was getting some good work in Portland and felt confident that I can go tonight after getting some great work this morning on the court. So felt pretty good about and feel, my ankle and my foot feels pretty good right now. So, it’s a good start.”
James was asked about the activity the Lakers were involved in during last Thursday’s NBA deadline.
The Lakers acquired point guard D’Angelo Russell from Minnesota, and forward Jarred Vanderbilt and wing Malik Beasley from the Utah Jazz in a
trade that sent Russell Westbrook, Juan ToscanoAnderson and Damian Jones and a first-round draft pick to the Jazz.
“And right now, I mean, I like the guys that we have coming in,” James said. “I mean, it’s going to take some time for us to get to know one another but I know that they play the game at a high level. I know D-Lo is a really good, shifty point guard. He can space the floor. Very crafty. Very deceiving with his quickness, the way he plays the game.”
Thursday’s results
Clippers 116, Suns 107: Paul George and Terance Mann each scored 26 points and visiting Los Angeles beat Phoenix in the final NBA game before the AllStar break. Kahwi Leonard added 16 points, all in the second half, and nine rebounds. Ivica Zubac and Eric Gordon each scored 13 points and Zubac had 12 rebounds.
The Suns missed nine of their first 10 3-point attempts, with only Josh Okogie warming up later in the game. Okogie led Phoenix with 24 points. He was 6 of 12 from behind the arc, but the rest of the Suns made five combined. Devin Booker had 19 points and nine assists. Bucks 112, Bulls 100: Giannis Antetokounmpo broke Milwaukee’s career assists record before leaving the game because of a sprained right wrist, and the Bucks won their 12th straight, beating host Chicago. Brook Lopez scored a season-high 33 points.
Wizards 114, Timberwolves 106: Bradley Beal had 13 of his 35 points over the final 41⁄2 minutes and Washington overcame a 20point deficit to beat host Minnesota.
Notable
The Celtics named Joe Mazzulla their full-time head coach, removing the interim tag he has held throughout the season after stepping in for Ime Udoka.
• A person familiar with the situation says Kevin Love has had discussions with the Cavaliers about a contract buyout.
Love is in the final year of a four-year, $120 million contract.