The Los Angeles Lakers picked up an impressive win on Christmas Day, pulling away from the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter to beat them by a whopping 26 points, 127-101. But unfortunately for them, they lost LeBron James in the process. 

A few minutes into the third quarter, LeBron went down awkwardly while going after a loose ball, and soon left the game with what was later diagnosed as a groin strain. The good news for the Lakers is that the MRI came back clean, and LeBron is only day-to-day -- though it seems likely he'll miss at least a few games. 

Coincidentally, another star who was involved in that Christmas Day showdown was the Warriors' Steph Curry. Earlier this season, Curry missed 11 games after suffering a groin strain of his own against the Milwaukee Bucks, and offered some insight into LeBron's recovery. Via The Undefeated:

"You got to take those first four or five days, that was what my experience was, to make sure you don't do any more damage," Curry told The Undefeated. "You have to let the healing process start. That is one you can't really rush. That is how I felt because it was such a delicate area.

The biggest frustration is that you get to a point where you are pain-free but you still have to be a little bit more cautious," Curry said. "I don't know the severity [of LeBron's injury], but becoming pain-free is just one step. And then you have to ramp up your load on the court to make sure everything you do won't set you back. That is the one thing that you can't afford with that injury, is to keep reinjuring it."

The most important thing that Curry notes here is patience. That's key with any injury, but especially a groin strain. The Lakers don't want this to be a problem that lingers throughout the season, as they'll need Lebron at his best come playoff time. 

That's why even though he's just day-to-day, it's easy to see him sitting out a few games, especially with Los Angeles scheduled to take the floor next on Thursday night when they face the Kings (10 p.m. ET -- Watch on FuboTV with the NBA League Pass extension). There's no reason to rush LeBron back and risk re-aggravating the injury -- especially after the start the Lakers have gotten off to this season. A little more than two months into the campaign, the Lakers are 20-14, just two and a half games out of the top spot in the West.