LeBron James’ health briefly a concern as Lakers beat Rockets to clinc

LeBron James moved gingerly to the bench, grabbing at the inside of his left leg midway through the third quarter.

This, for the Lakers, was a possible worst-case scenario on a night when they could lock up their best-case scenario for the playoffs.

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A win against the Rockets with Houston sitting 80% of its starting lineup would lock the Lakers into the No. 3 seed, giving them and their starters an extended rest heading into the first round of the playoffs that would begin in more than a week inside their building.

Read more: ‘Everybody had my back.’ Lakers forge tighter bond supporting Luka Doncic in Dallas

But losing James to a groin injury? That could puncture their championship dreams.

Without him, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves took turns barbecuing the reserve Rockets’ perimeter defense, but the Lakers needed their 40-year-old star to be OK.

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Turns out, he was just fine.

In the fourth quarter after Reaves made rookie Jack McVeigh stumble, James celebrated the step-back by walking off the bench all the way to the basket, only to moonwalk his way back — one of a handful of times he celebrated in the Lakers’ 140-109 win — an outcome that ensures their season finale in Portland won’t have any impact on their postseason.

It’s the first time the Lakers have avoided the play-in tournament since 2020, when they last won a championship.

“It just gives us a couple more days to be very prepared for whatever matchup we have,” Reaves said.

That means Sunday can be a day of rest for the Lakers’ stars while they wait to see who they’ll face in the playoffs, hosting a Game 1…