The right ankle injury LeBron James suffered in the first half Saturday at Staples Center left the Lakers without three starters against the resurgent Atlanta Hawks, putting the rest of Los Angeles’ group in a dire circumstance.
They lost James with 10 minutes 4 seconds left in the second quarter when he raised his hand and asked to come out of the game. He had been injured less than a minute earlier when Hawks forward Solomon Hill tumbled onto his right leg, rolling James’ ankle.
James played for a few seconds, even making a three-pointer from the corner.