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LeBron James injury puts damper on final stages of NBA season
The Lakers' midseason resurgence injected new life into the NBA season, with TV viewership and fan engagement seeing considerable upticks in recent weeks.
That's why LeBron James' groin injury, which is expected to keep the 40-year-old out for multiple weeks, comes at the worst possible time for the league. Without James, the Lakers are unlikely to resemble the team that owns the third-best record (22-8) in 2025 — a severe blow to the storylines shaping the season's final month.
The Lakers are slated to play four nationally televised games over the next nine days, including two contests apiece against the Nuggets and Bucks. The games against Denver are particularly critical since the two teams are locked in a tight battle for the second seed in the West. Suffice it to say that interest in those games has waned due to James' injury.
It's often said the NBA is in a healthier place when the Lakers are relevant, which they've been this season as a .645 team. However, Los Angeles could realistically fall to the sixth seed while waiting for James to return. The second-seeded Lakers (40-22) own just a five-game lead over the sixth-seeded Warriors (36-28) and seventh-seeded Timberwolves (37-29), both of whom have a much easier strength of schedule the rest of the way.
If JJ Redick's men aren't careful, they could lose a lot of ground in the standings, which would be bad news for the NBA's key stakeholders. The idea of the Lakers entering the play-in tournament and possibly missing the playoffs will be a devastating blow to the league.
It's not just the Lakers who need James back as soon as possible. The NBA and its television partners better hope his groin injury isn't as severe as the one in 2018-19, which kept him out for 17 games. The Lakers have only 20 games left, and each one counts.
Lakers' injury report tomorrow vs. Brooklyn:
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 9, 2025
-- LeBron James is out with a left groin strain.
-- Dorian Finney-Smith is out with left ankle soreness.
-- Luka Doncic is questionable with back soreness.
-- Jaxson Hayes is upgraded to questionable with right knee contusion. pic.twitter.com/02IkQMpyoY
More must-reads:
- New information surfaces about LeBron James’ groin injury
- LeBron James’ Incredible 20-Year Streak In Jeopardy Of Ending
- The 'Most combined regular season and playoff NBA points' quiz
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Draymond Green Calls Out Alperen Sengun With Three-Worded Message
It's no secret that the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets aren't fans of each other. If that much wasn't evident before the 2025 NBA Playoffs, it's definitely evident now. Whether it's Dillon Brooks and Steph Curry or Draymond Green and Alperen Sengun, there are multiple players with animosity on both teams. When it comes to Sengun in particular, though, he really wasn't a fan of the officiating against Golden State. “The Warriors were probably the one team that would have given us the most trouble, and we drew them," Sengun said in a recent interview with Socrates Dergi. "They’re a very experienced team, and they fouled a lot. In the playoffs, they don’t call it. But they were the ones crying all series about fouls not being called." “When it comes to us, we’re not really allowed to complain. It’s more of an internal thing. Ime Udoka doesn’t allow it. He loses his mind if we complain," Sengun added. Draymond Green's Response to Sengun If anyone expected Draymond Green to stay quiet after Sengun's words, they'd immediately be wrong. When the Golden State Warriors star saw the quote on Threads, he gave a blunt three-word response. "Hold that L," Green said to Sengun It didn't stop there for Green, though. He doubled down on his statements toward Sengun, adding further insult to injury. "That's a tough thing to say after you lose," Green said. "You have to win to stuff like that." Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets Rivalry Throughout Steph Curry's tenure with the Golden State Warriors, they've absolutely decimated the Houston Rockets. Curry has defeated them three times in the playoffs and has a 28-17 record against them all-time. During the 2025 NBA Playoffs, it looked like the Warriors were about to blow a 3-1 lead against Houston before ultimately winning. However, it'll be much harder for the Warriors to replicate the same success against Houston there, especially with Kevin Durant on the team now.
New report sheds light on how Cowboys view Micah Parsons situation
It is no secret that the relationship between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys is not on solid ground, but that does not necessarily mean it is tarnished beyond repair. On the latest episode of his podcast, which was released on Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter predicted that Parsons and the Cowboys are "headed towards divorce." Schefter said the two sides have not spoken since April and that it seems like a matter of when — not if — they part ways. Longtime NFL reporter Josina Anderson was told the situation is not quite that grim, at least from the Cowboys' perspective. Anderson reported on Tuesday evening that the relationship between Parsons and Dallas "has not deteriorated to the point of an imminent divorce." "I did not detect any obvious tones of concern in my sourced conversation when I recently asked about ESPN's Adam Schefter's report stating he sees 'these two sides headed towards a divorce, in time.' ... I just feel Dallas has so much history with protracted (and) sensitive negotiations, thus my current impression is the club remains unrattled, at this time," Anderson wrote in a post on X. Parsons is earning just over $24M in the final year of his rookie contract this season. The 26-year-old had 12 sacks in 13 games last season and has 52.5 sacks in 63 career games. Parsons is arguably the best pass-rusher in the NFL when healthy. Although Parsons has formally requested a trade, the Cowboys maintain that they have no intention of dealing their four-time Pro Bowl defensive end. The only real leverage Parsons has is creating a headache in Dallas. He remains under contract, and the Cowboys also have the ability to use the franchise tag on him in each of the next two seasons. If Parsons were to sit out regular-season games, his contract would eventually toll. Even with Jerry Jones publicly taking shots at Parsons, one massive contract offer could change everything.
The Washington Commanders made a massive mistake that could've fixed a position, and they saw it backfire on Monday night
Adam Peters has done a great job revamping the Washington Commanders' roster and building around franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels, but there are still a couple of positions that need to be improved. One of the positions most talked about this offseason has been the depth in the wide receiver room with the absence of Terry McLaurin, and Noah Brown is dealing with an injury. There were additions made to the position the last two offseasons, but the answer could've already been on the team, and we saw that Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals when WR Mitch Tinsley treated the secondary like a Pop Warner football team. Tinsley put on a SHOW If he's going to make the Bengals roster like he's expected to, according to reports, there's absolutely no way he wouldn't be on the Commanders roster over guys like Michael Gallup, Chris Moore, and K.J. Osborn, who have done nothing this preseason. The part that stings was that Tinsley already made the previous Commanders roster in 2023 as an undrafted rookie, and spent 2024 on the practice squad before being released. He's been the buzz of training camp for the Bengals, and the whole team, including star QB Joe Burrow, is pushing for him to make the team. He should have no problem making the roster after being named a captain for the preseason game in his return to Washington, and then putting on a show in primetime. Tinsley had some of the most impressive catches I've seen that showed his athleticism and body control. One touchdown flashed his ability to adjust his body in the air as he plucked the pass out of the air after turning his body mid jump. Then he would deflect a pass towards himself just to catch it as he's falling down, and Mossed a Commanders safety in the endzone with a full extension catch while getting both feet in. Tinsley finished the game with five catches for 73 yards, two touchdowns, and an insane highlight reel. Tinsley could've been the answer in the WR room The Commanders have been waiting around for someone in the wide receiver room to solidify the last roster spot or two, but nobody has done it yet, with only one preseason game left. McLaurin, Samuel, Brown, Lane, and McCaffrey are locks, but that's only five receivers, and they could keep seven to be safe. Lane looks like he can produce in his rookie season, but there are still question marks on who else can step up apart from McLaurin and Deebo. Tinsley was around the team and learning the offense for two years. This could have been a breakout season for him on the Commanders, but now it looks like he will have his best season yet as a Bengal. Hopefully, someone else produces this season so the Commanders don't regret this decision even more.
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NASCAR official sheds light on Bubba Wallace's Richmond penalty
Bubba Wallace had never found much success at Richmond Raceway, but looked poised to deliver a breakthrough performance there on Saturday night. Wallace led 123 laps on the night and won Stage 2 after finishing second in the opening stage to 23XI Racing teammate Tyler Reddick. Everything changed for the Brickyard 400 winner during a green-flag stop with 110 laps to go. As Wallace exited his stall, he lost his left-front tire and pulled into fellow Toyota driver Chase Briscoe's stall to get the tire back on prior to returning to the track. While the decision to pit in another box forced Wallace to serve a pass-through penalty, NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran said the sanctioning body viewed his actions as the safest move in that scenario. "The last thing we want is a wheel coming off on the race track. Obviously, the penalties ramp up when you leave pit road and a wheel falls off," Moran said, per NASCAR.com. "But truthfully, really what it is, it's just pitting out of the box is how we look at it. We do not want tires out on the race track, so if it can be avoided, we certainly would like to see that. So, the rule was set that if you happen to lose a tire and you can get it changed in a teammate's box, that's fair game before you leave and you will be penalized for pitting out of the box." This was the second time this season a driver made the abrupt decision to stop in another driver's box after losing a wheel on pit road. Back in March at Las Vegas, Christopher Bell did the same thing and, ironically enough, also stopped in Briscoe's box to get the wheel secured. Although Wallace ultimately finished two laps down in 28th, he appeared to have one of the best cars in the field until the pit road mishap derailed his race. He had only led 83 laps combined and recorded one top 10 in his previous 13 starts at Richmond, so the time he spent at the front was a major step in the right direction. Had the wheel come off on the track, two crew members would have received a two-race suspension, meaning the No. 23 team would not have been at full strength for the playoff opener at Darlington on Aug. 31. Instead, the on-the-spot decision-making kept that from happening on what was shaping up to be a career night at the "Action Track" for Wallace.
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