The Los Angeles Lakers destroyed the Golden State Warriors 127-101 on Christmas Day, but there was an injury scare involving LeBron James. Luckily, LeBron's groin injury isn't serious, and he isn't expected to miss too much time. And while James will miss at least one game, Lakers head coach Luke Walton is confident in his squad being able to overcome the star's absence.
Per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, Walton assured reporters the team will remain competitive without LeBron:
Article Continues Below“Obviously, we want him back as soon as possible, but we also will be very cautious when we bring him back. Our team is much better now than we were to start the season. So, it will get a lot more challenging for us if he misses some real time, but I’m also very confident in our group that they’ll continue to step up and battle.”
The team certainly looked like a complete unit on Christmas Day, even without LeBron. Excluding their superstar, six Lakers finished the game with double-digit points. Rajon Rondo and Ivica Zubac both finished with double-doubles.
Perhaps even more impressive than the team's offensive numbers was the defensive effort. The Warriors are known to be one of the best offensive teams in history, and the Lakers came within a hair of holding them below the century mark.
If the Lakers can keep up this momentum even without their leader, the team should be fine for the next few games. However, if LeBron misses more then a few weeks, the team could see its record start to slip and might have to fight for a playoff spot when the last weeks of the season approach.