SAN ANTONIO — Two nights removed from his highest-scoring game as a Laker, LeBron James needed a night off.
The 37-year-old wasn’t able to play Monday night in San Antonio after left knee soreness flared up following his 56-point performance in a victory over Golden State. It’s been common for James to feel soreness in his left knee the day after games – he missed five consecutive games with swelling in the area in January and early February – but the Lakers were cautious after it lingered into Monday as they prepared for the Spurs.
“With the heavy load that he’s carrying for us this year, we know that it’s always a possibility,” Coach Frank Vogel said. “I think that’s why we continue to list him as questionable to see how it’s responding over the 48 hours between games. And this is just one of those days where it was significant enough to hold him out.”
Two people told Southern California News Group that James did not do on-court warm-ups on Tuesday, instead working with trainer Mike Mancias. But Vogel added the Lakers are “hopeful” James can return Wednesday at Houston.
James has downplayed the significance of his knee injury, but he acknowledged prior to the All-Star break that it would require season-long management.
“It’s the same as my ankle when I had the ankle sprain last year: The only way it’ll be back to full strength is with rest,” he said. “And I don’t have the luxury of having rest. So it’ll wait till the offseason.”
Vogel elevated Talen Horton-Tucker into the starting lineup along with Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard, Malik Monk and Austin Reaves for the 31st different starting group this season. Replacing James’ scoring load loomed a little larger one game removed from his best scoring game of the season.
“No one player is going to have to try to pick up where he left off,” Vogel said. “Although I did tell Malik that he’s got to score 56 tonight since Bron’s out, he can try to have that mindset. And then I told him quickly that I was just kidding. Because he will actually go out and try to do that.”
The Lakers weren’t the only team disappointed by James having to sit out. Over the course of James’ 19-year career, he’s developed a strong mutual respect with Gregg Popovich, the longtime coach of the Spurs who was poised before the game to potentially tie the all-time coaching wins record (1,335) held by Don Nelson.
James has often spoken warmly of how Popovich and his San Antonio teams (2-1 against James in the Finals) pushed him to develop his game. In turn, the 73-year-old has seen the fruits of James’ labor to evolve as a shooter.
“That’s what makes him so special: He understands the game so well,” he said. “He did it the other night. It was incredible what he did the other night. But he knows where there might be a weak point, and he takes care of it, and that’s what the best players do. So he knows he’s basically impossible to guard because he has confidence in his shot.”
While San Antonio has the playoff edge against James’ teams, it seems fitting that in 38 meetings, Popovich and James have each won 19 games.
Popovich said as an assistant to Larry Brown, he would often get caught in a daze, neglecting his coaching duties while watching Michael Jordan carve up opponents on the court. He added James often makes him feel the same way.
“He’ll do things, and I’ll look over once in a while and smirk like, ‘Geez’ – that kind of thing,” Popovich said. “It’s one of the joys of being able to coach in this league, to be in the presence of people like that, to be able to watch them play and perform and do the things they do on a consistent basis. And he’s been very special to me in that way.”
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