LeBron James Provides Concerning Injury Update After Lakers Win

Veteran forward LeBron James admittedly survived a major injury scare Thursday night when he collided with Utah Jazz rookie Walter Clayton Jr. After the Los Angeles Lakers completed a 143-135 victory, James revealed he felt "sharp pain" in the same knee in which he suffered an MCL sprain during the playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves last season.

"Just a little bolt to the knee, like a sharp pain to the knee," James said after the game, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

"Got kneed on the inside, like the medial side, of the knee. And just kind of wanted to take my time a little bit as it calmed down … or hoping it calmed down.

"I told Mike [Mancias], my trainer, I said, 'We dodged a bullet there.'"

"I told Mike [Mancias], my trainer, I said, 'We dodged a bullet there,'" LeBron James on the collision that Jazz rookie Walter Clayton Jr. had with the inside of James' left knee tonight. It was the same knee James injured in the playoffs vs. MIN. LeBron James Braves Injury

The four-time NBA champion finished with 28 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds and was able to brave the injury after the collision with Clayton Jr. The incident took place at the 7:52 mark in the second quarter when James, coming off a Marcus Smart screen, collided with the Jazz rookie and immediately went down.

James would stay on the floor for an extended period, as teammates came to check on him. Fortunately, he remained in the game and didn't check out until the 4:53 mark. He returned soon after to stay on the court for the completion of the first half, suggesting that the pain in his knee was not bothering him as much.

Lakers Dealing With Other Injuries

That the Lakers survived a LeBron James injury is a positive for a team already dealing with injuries to Austin Reaves (calf strain), Gabe Vincent (back) and Deandre Ayton (elbow soreness). While Reaves — the Lakers' second-best player this season — will be reevaluated in a week, per The Athletic's Dan Woike, Vincent will also be sidelined for at least a week after he felt back soreness in the lead-up to Thursday's game.

As for Ayton, the Lakers don't expect their starting center to miss much time.

With the win over the Jazz, the Lakers improved to 19-7. However, analysts raised numerous red flags about JJ Redick's men conceding 135 points, including 78 first-half points, to a lottery-bound team like the Jazz.

Luka Doncic led the way with a 45-point triple-double, b ut the Slovenian star was unhappy with his performance, specifically his engagement on defense.

"I think, honestly, I could do so much more," Doncic said after tallying 45 points, 14 assists, 11 rebounds and 5 steals, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "But I think that one turnover is the best stat-wise on this stat sheet. We had seven turnovers, which is impressive for us and we won the game."

Redick agreed with Doncic's honest assessment of himself.

"[He had] stretches of playing excellent, being engaged and executing our stuff defensively, and then stretches where he is not as engaged and isn't executing our stuff defensively," Redick said. "But I would say that's for everybody. I think the biggest thing, he played certainly well enough to lead us to a win. Him and LeBron [James], with 24 assists and three turnovers [combined]."

The Lakers (19-7) will next play intercity rivals LA Clippers (6-21) in an away game on Saturday night.