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LeBron James out with sore right groin for Thursday's Lakers-Rockets matchup

The Los Angeles Lakers need to right their ship after a 105-86 drubbing at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, but LeBron James won’t be able to help them do it on Thursday.

The Lakers announced that James won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets due to a sore right groin, and that news moved the line to Rockets -2.5 at BetMGM.

James, 35, dealt with a sore right groin right before the bubble games began, but it hadn’t appeared to be a problem for him. He also had a sore groin at the end of 2019, the same injury that caused him to miss a career-high 17 games during the 2018-19 season.

The Lakers were rolling before the season was suspended due to COVID-19, winning 13 of their last 16, but they’re 2-2 in the bubble so far. They’ve already locked up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, so losing James for a game or two isn’t cause for alarm, but the Lakers need to rediscover their on-court chemistry — and fast. James is a big part of that, but it’s worth it for the Lakers to be cautious with their big star. They need him for the playoffs, which are only four games away.

LeBron James holds two basketballs.
LeBron James is sitting on Thursday due to a sore right groin. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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