On Sunday evening, LeBron James missed his first game of the season for the Los Angeles Lakers.
At least partly as a result, they got blown out by the surging Denver Nuggets, 128-104.
The official reason given by the Lakers for James’ absence was a strain of the thoracic muscle, which is located in the rib cage area. He first noticed it against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.
However, it appears that he’s been also dealing with another ailment, according to ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst.
“James has also been dealing with a nagging groin issue recently, sources said,” wrote Windhorst. “Last season a groin strain on Christmas Day derailed James and the Lakers’ season.”
It’s unclear whether this groin issue is related to the one that caused James to miss 17 consecutive games last season.
Earlier this season, James shot down the idea of missing games due to “load management”, as many had predicted he would. Just days ago, he reaffirmed his desire to not miss any games unless he’s injured.
In a low-key way, the injuries have been piling up for the Lakers in recent weeks.
Avery Bradley missed nearly a month with a hairline fracture in his leg, and only returned to the starting lineup on Sunday in his sixth game back. Kyle Kuzma, after missing five games due to a sprained ankle, made his return against Denver.
Also in Sunday’s game, Anthony Davis appeared to tweak his right knee late in the third quarter. However, he returned and finished the game in the fourth quarter.
