Orlando (United States) (AFP)
Lakers superstar LeBron James, injured in the groin, will not play Thursday night against Houston in the NBA regular season game in the Disney World bubble, his team announced.
James, 35, was on the flank for a long time last season with pain there, which also caused him to miss a game in the current year in December.
His package for the duel against the Rockets is not problematic for the Lakers, already assured of being the No. 1 seed in the West, during the play-offs due to start on August 17, and whose remaining matches of regular season do not present any particular issue.
The substitute back Alex Caruso, embarrassed by pain in the neck, is uncertain. Team other star Anthony Davis (ankle), along with Markieff Morris (hip), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (ribs) and Dwight Howard (knee) should be up and running despite some pain.
Side Rockets, uncertainty hangs around Russell Westbrook, embarrassed by a pain in a quadriceps.
Houston, 6th in the West, "will not take any chances" with his star, told the media his coach Mike D'Antoni, who is still waiting to see how his player will feel just before the meeting.
"He thinks it's not much, but you have to be sure that he is 100% to play," he concluded.
© 2020 AFP