UPDATE: Cavs coach Tyronn Lue told reporters that LeBron James will play against the Wizards on Saturday, per ESPNâs Dave McMenamin.
Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James suffered a corneal abrasion to his right eye during Fridayâs 112-105 win over the Charlotte Hornets, and he told reporters that he could miss Saturdayâs game against the Washington Wizards. From ESPNâs Dave McMenamin:
James was fouled by the Hornetsâ Jeremy Lamb with 31.2 seconds left in the third quarter while scoring an and-1 layup when the contact with his eye occurred. After covering his face and sitting on the floor beside the stanchion for several minutes, James signaled for a timeout and made his way to the bench to have his eye looked at by Cavs trainer Steve Spiro.
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After the game, James told reporters his vision was blurry in his right eye and he was attended to by the Hornetsâ team eye specialist.
James took another spill in the fourth, falling to the floor on his back from a foul by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with 6:48 left.
âJust took a hard foul -- a hard fall, Iâm sorry. And I just got up and made my free throws, I think I made them,â said James, who went 1-for-2 from the line that possession but 14-for-16 for the game, representing a season high in free throw attempts. âI was just trying to put pressure on the rim, so, if coach decides to give me a game off, itâs not because Iâm resting. Itâs because Iâm banged up.â
Hereâs the play in question:
No one likes to be scratched in the eye. That looked painful. If James misses the Wizards game, there should be absolutely no controversy this time. There could be implications, however: The Cavaliers only have a one-game lead on the Boston Celtics in the standings, so a loss would give Boston an opportunity to tie Cleveland with a win over the Miami Heat on Sunday. The battle for the top spot in the East is heating up.
