LeBron reflects on rest-fueled return in Lakers’ win, says ‘it was great for mind & body’

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Los Angeles, Dec 16 (IANS) LeBron James returned to action on Monday (IST) after having missed the Los Angeles Lakers previous two games due to left foot soreness to help his team secure a 116-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena.

The league veteran of 22 years reflected on his decision to sit out the games against the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves and believes the short break was a good decision.

“I mean it’s very rare, to be honest, if you can get a break in the schedule like that,” James said after the Lakers’ 116-110 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. “So it was a very easy decision for myself and for the team and for my trainer to be able to take advantage of those days just for everything. So, it was great.”

“I had an opportunity to take more days and get my mind, body and everything where I wanted it to be for tonight and it worked out.I listen to more than just myself because if it was up to just me, I probably would’ve played in the Portland game, and (I’m) not sure if I would’ve played in the Minnesota game, but it would’ve been hard to keep me away from it. I have a team and I gotta listen to them as well. They look out for my best interest,” said LeBron in the post-game interview.

LeBron, who will turn 40 at the end of the month, played a supporting role in the Lakers win with 18 points, eight rebounds and as many assists alongside Anthony Davis, who exploded with 40 points and 16 rebounds on the night.

The JJ Reddick-coached side has improved to a 14-12 record this season after having lost six of their last 10 outings.

Lebron in the end, also confirmed that his injury troubles “are not behind” him and the issue still persists. “Nah, it’s not behind me.It’s an everyday thing. It’s been lingering for the last few years, but I was able to do a lot of great things to reassure not only that, but I got kneed in the quad in the Atlanta game at the end of regulation by (Anthony Davis), that’s now back to 100 percent. Probably three days ago it was still pretty sore. But I’m able to get that back to 100 (percent), so that was great, so I was able to hit a lot of other elements as well,” he added.

–IANS

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Mason Mount faces injury setback as midfielder ruled out for ‘several weeks’

Manchester, Dec 20 (IANS) English midfielder Mason Mount is set to miss Manchester United’s heavily congested December fixtures due to the injury he recently sustained. The midfielder has had wretched luck and was visibly upset when being forced to leave the field during the first half of the Manchester derby victory last weekend.

Head coach Ruben Amorim admitted before the Carabao Cup defeat at Tottenham that Mount, who has shown real promise in adapting to Amorim’s system, was ‘very sad’ in the dressing room at the Etihad Stadium, fearing another lay-off. Ahead of Sunday’s Premier League game against Bournemouth, Amorim was asked about Mount’s injury. “Several weeks. I don’t know the exact date, but it’s going to be for long. And that’s it, it’s part of football and you continue.”

When asked whether the situation with injuries, in general, is a concern and something he will need to look into further, Ruben added: “No it’s not. That is not my department.

“What I can do is to help Mase, to teach him how to play our game when he’s recovering. To try to use that time for him to think about different things. I think the worst part is that we don’t have time to train like we should when we are recovering from a lot of injuries.

“With Mason Mount, we are going to help him. It is really hard for a player to be out for so long and is trying really hard, the same for me. If they try really hard, we will help them until the end.”

With Mason’s injury, Amorim will look to other players to fill the gap left by the Englishman. The Portuguese head coach was questioned whether the out-of-form Antony is a viable option.

“He needs more confidence. If you remember, Antony and I played against him in Ajax. He lacks a little bit of confidence to go to one against one so he will improve. But he’s working really hard and he’s trying to display more inside than outside, especially in this game. And he just has to do that, to work really hard and I will happily help him to be a better player,” said Amorim.

–IANS

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Potts replaces Woakes in England’s lone change for 3rd Test vs NZ

Hamilton, Dec 13 (IANS) England have revealed that seamer Matthew Potts will be replacing fellow pacer Chris Woakes in the side’s lone change to their playing eleven for the third and final Test against New Zealand, starting at Seddon Park on Saturday.

With England 2-0 up and the series already won ahead of their last Test of the year in Hamilton, Potts will be given a go and he is likely to take the new ball for England in Woakes’ absence. Woakes picked six wickets in two games as England’s leader of the bowling attack.

“It’s another opportunity to look at one of the fast bowlers that we see playing a big role going forward. Two-nil up, you obviously put yourself in an easier position to make the change. Pottsy’s got a massive engine on him.”

“He can go all day, bowl a lot of overs, but not just that, he’s a very skilful bowler, which he’s got better at by being here, working with Jimmy (Anderson) on a few things here and there. He’s someone who is another versatile bowler, you can use him with the new ball, the short-ball plan that we go to because he’s so fit.

“He can bowl you 20 overs one day, then rock up again and bowl you another 20. Chris Woakes came into the winter tours with a bit of scrutiny behind his away record, but I think what he has done over the winter has proved a lot of people wrong. He’s been fantastic; he was great in Pakistan and pretty influential over here,” said England skipper Ben Stokes to reporters on Friday.

New Zealand captain Tom Latham said they will wait till the morning of the match to name their playing eleven, which includes deciding on giving veteran quick Tim Southee a farewell game before his retirement from Test cricket.

“I’m sure he wants to perform as well as he can and to try to do his role as best he can, whatever that may be. I’m sure he’ll be thankful for whatever it may be, if he gets that opportunity. I’m sure he’s excited about what the next five days are going to bring, if he gets that opportunity,” he said.

Top-order batter Will Young, who was named Player of the Series in New Zealand’s 3-0 win in India, is certain to play due to Devon Conway unavailable for the game in Hamilton for the birth of his first child.

England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope, Ben Stokes (c), Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Brydon Carse and Shoaib Bashir

–IANS

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