The Los Angeles Lakers are battling the Dallas Mavericks with crucial playoff positioning on the line. The Lakers, who trailed by as much as 27 points in the first half, have battled back to make a game of it. However, things appeared to have almost taken a turn for the worse as LeBron James suffered a foot injury.

During the third quarter, James hit the deck and could be heard saying, “I heard a pop,” as ClutchPoints reporter Michael Corvo noted.

He lay on the ground for a quick moment, holding his right foot. However, James then got back up and remained in the game. He looked a little loose moving around for the first possession or so, but he appears to have shaken it off.

The Lakers put together an impressive third quarter. They have cut the deficit to three points as it enters the fourth.

If anyone was concerned who heard LeBron talking about the foot injury, James put those thoughts to be early in the final frame. LeBron James opened up the scoring sinking a triple to tie the game at 81. The next possession for the Lakers, James beat a double team down in the block to give Los Angeles their first lead since 10-9.

This is a huge game for both the Lakers and Mavs in the Western Conference standings. Despite sitting in the #13 seed, the Lakers entered the game Sunday only 1.5 games out of the play-in tournament. Incredibly, only four games separate the fourth-seed Phoenix Suns and Lakers, with Dallas sitting in sixth.