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[Saba Sports News] Lakers fans collectively held their breath on Friday night when LeBron James appeared to injure his right hand during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The incident occurred midway through the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena. As James attempted to block a layup by Jose Alvarado, his right thumb caught on the rim in an awkward motion.
The slow-motion replay showed the thumb snagging as LeBron tried to swat the shot off the backboard.
The Lakers quickly called a timeout to check on their star, who exited the game briefly. Thankfully, the injury turned out to be minor. After having his thumb taped by the training staff, James returned to the floor later in the first quarter.
Once back in action, LeBron didn’t miss a beat—racking up 13 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals before halftime as the Lakers took a 62-53 lead into the break.
Despite turning 40 this season, James has remained impressively durable, missing just 11 of the Lakers’ first 76 games. He previously gave fans a scare when he suffered a groin injury on March 8 against the Celtics, though he returned after a seven-game absence.
With playoff positioning still on the line and just five regular-season games remaining, expect LeBron to do everything in his power to stay on the court as the Lakers push for homecourt advantage.