Lakers send LeBron James home to get treatment on swollen knee

Lakers star LeBron James, who had already been ruled out of Sunday’s game in Atlanta, has been sent back to Los Angeles to undergo treatment on his left knee, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“As long as the swelling is there, he is going to be out,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said in a pregame meeting with reporters.

James underwent an MRI on the knee, but all it showed was swelling, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register.

James has missed L.A.’s past two games with what the team is calling “left knee soreness/effusion.” The Lakers lost both of those games, a 105-87 blowout to the Sixers and 117-114 defeat to the Hornets. After Sunday, the Lakers don’t play again until Wednesday night when they host Portland.