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LeBron James exits Lakers win vs. Warriors with groin injury

LeBron James exited Tuesday's Christmas Day matchup against the Golden State Warriors - his first battle against his longtime nemesis as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers - with a strained left groin. With the Lakers leading in the third quarter on the back of a big defensive effort, James slipped to the court going after a ball that had escaped his grasp. ESPN NBA analyst Mark Jackson and several Twitter users noted that James said he felt something "pop."

He headed back to the locker room with the Lakers leading 71-57 in the third quarter. Soon the team announced that he had suffered a strained left groin and that his return was questionable. They later ruled him out.