Lakers say LeBron James will miss rest of the season due to ankle injury – Yahoo Sports

LeBron James will miss the Los Angeles Lakers' final two games of the season due to an ankle injury. The team re-evaluated James' injury and determined it best he sit for the rest of the season.

James sustained the injury March 27. He missed two games before returning to play against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 1 when the Lakers were still in contention for the play-in tournament. The Lakers lost that game, pushing the postseason further out of view.

James then missed the next three games due to the injury. During that time, the Lakers were officially eliminated from the postseason.

James is expected to make a full recovery from the ankle sprain.

LeBron James will miss the Lakers' final two games. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

It was a disappointing season for the Lakers overall, but James turned in a strong performance. James, 37, averaged 30.3 points per game, the second-highest rate of his career.

James had a shot at winning the scoring title, but will not play enough games to qualify for the title. Players need to play 58 games to qualify for end-of-season awards. James played in 56 games.

In a historically close race, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (30.42 ppg) and Milwaukee Bucks big Giannis Antetokounmpo (29.88) were vying with James for the scoring title.

James' performance wasn't enough to lift the Lakers most nights. It didn't help that Anthony Davis missed time due to injuries and Russell Westbrook had a down year.

With the Lakers missing the playoffs, James will have to figure out how to lead the team back to prominence next season. Davis, James and Westbrook are all under contract for at least one more season, but the Lakers will likely need to make wholesale changes in the offseason in order to contend in James' 20th NBA season.

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Lakers say LeBron James will miss rest of the season due to ankle injury - Yahoo Sports