James had led the Lakers as high as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with Luka Doncic by his side, but the Lakers have dropped to fourth without the King. The Lakers actua

Though Luka Dončić’s fourth-quarter explosion showed he is capable of keeping the Lakers in big games, LeBron James’ fourth-quarter groin injury will loom large after this loss, which snapped Los Angeles’ eight-game win streak. With 6:44 left in the game, James called for a timeout and eventually headed to the locker room with a left groin strain.

James worked with the Lakers training staff for much of the timeout and was taken out of the game for Jared Vanderbilt after the timeout. The Lakers ruled him out for the game with a groin injury moments later as James headed to the locker room with a few minutes remaining in an eventual 111-101 Celtics win.