The Los Angeles Lakers’ lone absentee from their first practice following the All-Star break was LeBron James, but Darvin Ham insisted that his absence had nothing to do with the finger injury he sustained during the celebrations on Sunday.
“I gave him an extra day off,” explained Ham. “He’s had a ton on his shoulders this entire season. With the record, our ups and downs throughout the year, having to do another All-Star game and be a part of All-Star Weekend again — I felt it was only right to take a little bit of extra time. … The finger’s not an issue at all.”
Ham acknowledged that the Lakers are “still managing” LeBron’s soreness in his left foot/ankle — a wear-and-tear issue that is expected to linger through the rest of the season.
LeBron was forced to exit his 19th All-Star Game early in the second quarter after hitting his hand on a chasedown block attempt on Pascal Siakam. LeBron was officially ruled out at halftime and designated with a “right hand contusion.”
James downplayed the injury in his postgame remarks.
“Coach Malone is a defensive-minded coach and I told him I would get one stop tonight,” cracked LeBron. “I tried to get one little chasedown block and got my finger caught in the rim, but I’ll be fine. It’s not too much to worry about. For precautionary reasons, just took the rest of the night off.”
Source: https://clutchpoints.com
