Miami Heat play it safe, LeBron misses first game of season
LeBron James "King James" of Miami Heat is going to miss his first game of the season as he is sitting out for a match against Denver Nuggets on Thursday at Pepsi Center.
Miami Heat is 30-10 this season but they were sweating on Wednesday night. Not because of the Los Angeles Clippers, who defeated them 111-105, but because of a knee injury to superstar, LeBron James.
Early in the fourth quarter, James left the game after tweaking his ankle. Despite the injury, he was able to finish the game with 28 points and pulled down eight rebounds in the loss.
Knicknamed “Mr. Basketball” in his Ohio high school days, LeBron, was limping pretty badly when he rolled his ankle landing from a layup in the fourth quarter at Staples Center.
After the game he said that X-rays were negative but it would depend on how he felt Thursday morning.
“I’ll definitely be smart about the situation and our training staff will be”, James said Wednesday. “My teammates will definitely tell me to be smart about it. I don’t have to be a hero in the regular season if I’m not up close to 100 percent”.
Heat coach, Erik Spoelstra, called James “doubtful” and since then multiple reports have him sitting out.
"You could see he rolled it. He's done that often, he says one time a year usually like that", Coach Erik Spoelstra told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "We'll probably shoot for Saturday against the Bulls".
According to Miami coach, James Jones, would start in LeBron’s place. The 30-year-old small forward is averaging 4.9 points per game while also ranking 25th in three-point conversion percentage (39.8%).
The doctor suggested LeBron James take care of his ankle. James will be under day-to-day observation until his full recovery. James is obviously a solid option, but would not be considered a must-start in case of an injury.
"The doctor told me it's day to day so I'll see how I feel (Thursday)", James told reporters.
LeBron is playing as well as anyone in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 26-year-old is averaging 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals on the season. He leads the team in points, assists and steals.
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