Anotherrecord-setting night for LeBron Jamesended painfully, as he hurt his elbow in a hard fall during the fourth quarter of theLos Angeles Lakers' game against theDenver Nuggets.
James drove and hit a layup with just over 4 minutes to go, but he came down hard and immediately grasped at his elbow. TheAmazon Prime cameras captured James saying"elbow" and using some NSFW language as he was checked on.
Jaxson Hayes subbed in for James after the ensuing timeout and James received treatment from trainers while sitting on the bench, working his elbow area.
James' basket had cut the Lakers' deficit to 110-106 late. He returned to the court about two minutes later, with 2:05 on the clock and the Lakers trailing 112-111. James was removed for good with 22.3 seconds left
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The Nuggets held on to win, 120-113.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin, relaying what Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the contest, reported that James was "icing his left elbow after the game and that he was experiencing enough discomfort that it caused him to be unable to finish the game."
Earlier in the contest, James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA record for most made field goals.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:LeBron James injury update, why he left Lakers-Nuggets game in 4th