Originally published by LakersNation.com
Anticipation surrounded Thursday’s matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors, with LeBron James expected to face off against Stephen Curry for the first time this season.
Curry recently returned from a 27-game absence due to a right knee injury, but Golden State ultimately opted to rest its franchise star against L.A., as it was the first night of a back-to-back. That means that either James or Curry missed all four of the Lakers and Warriors matchups this season, which he 41-year-old admittedly was bummed to find out.
“We actually talked about it a little bit,” James said on Spectrum SportsNet after the Lakers’ 119-103 win. “We both didn’t even realize it until, I guess, today. I was hurt early on, and then in the last two games, he didn’t play. We never know. We don’t know what the future holds. We don’t know when we get the opportunity to play against each other or how many more times we get to play against each other. But it was always a pleasure and always an honor just to be in his presence, to be on the floor with him, and what we had in the past.”
James missed the Lakers’ first matchup on Opening Night due to his sciatica issue, and then Curry missed the final three games between the two teams.
Obviously, there is a lot of history surrounding those two due to their battles in the NBA Finals when James was on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since the four-time champion arrived in Los Angeles, it has allowed more opportunities for him to face off against Curry in the regular season and also the Play-In Tournament and postseason.
In Curry’s first game back against the Houston Rockets, he picked up right where he left off with a 29-point performance on 11-for-21 from the field. With James putting up 26 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists in Golden State, it appeared they were both in good rhythms offensively and it feels like there was a missed opportunity with Curry sitting out on Thursday.
Signs are pointing to the Lakers star returning to the NBA for a 24th season, although whether that is in L.A. remains to be seen. Regardless, hopefully, both parties are healthy next year and can make a few more iconic moments before they retire.
LeBron James willing to do ‘everything’ to help Lakers overcome injuries
This past week has been disastrous for the Lakers with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both being sidelined indefinitely due to injuries. That leaves James, who is in his 23rd season, as the lone centerpiece to keep L.A. afloat going into the postseason.
Assuming Doncic and Reaves cannot return in the first round of the playoffs, a lot of responsibility falls on James to extend their season. However, the 41-year-old remains willing to do everything necessary to help his team overcome these untimely injuries as he has been in similar positions before.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
Anticipation surrounded Thursday’s matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors, with LeBron James expected to face off against Stephen Curry for the first time this season.
Curry recently returned from a 27-game absence due to a right knee injury, but Golden State ultimately opted to rest its franchise star against L.A., as it was the first night of a back-to-back. That means that either James or Curry missed all four of the Lakers and Warriors matchups this season, which he 41-year-old admittedly was bummed to find out.
“We actually talked about it a little bit,” James said on Spectrum SportsNet after the Lakers’ 119-103 win. “We both didn’t even realize it until, I guess, today. I was hurt early on, and then in the last two games, he didn’t play. We never know. We don’t know what the future holds. We don’t know when we get the opportunity to play against each other or how many more times we get to play against each other. But it was always a pleasure and always an honor just to be in his presence, to be on the floor with him, and what we had in the past.”
James missed the Lakers’ first matchup on Opening Night due to his sciatica issue, and then Curry missed the final three games between the two teams.
Obviously, there is a lot of history surrounding those two due to their battles in the NBA Finals when James was on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since the four-time champion arrived in Los Angeles, it has allowed more opportunities for him to face off against Curry in the regular season and also the Play-In Tournament and postseason.
In Curry’s first game back against the Houston Rockets, he picked up right where he left off with a 29-point performance on 11-for-21 from the field. With James putting up 26 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists in Golden State, it appeared they were both in good rhythms offensively and it feels like there was a missed opportunity with Curry sitting out on Thursday.
Signs are pointing to the Lakers star returning to the NBA for a 24th season, although whether that is in L.A. remains to be seen. Regardless, hopefully, both parties are healthy next year and can make a few more iconic moments before they retire.
LeBron James willing to do ‘everything’ to help Lakers overcome injuries
This past week has been disastrous for the Lakers with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both being sidelined indefinitely due to injuries. That leaves James, who is in his 23rd season, as the lone centerpiece to keep L.A. afloat going into the postseason.
Assuming Doncic and Reaves cannot return in the first round of the playoffs, a lot of responsibility falls on James to extend their season. However, the 41-year-old remains willing to do everything necessary to help his team overcome these untimely injuries as he has been in similar positions before.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.