Heat’s James, Wade questionable vs. Lakers
Posted January 19, 2012 11:29 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIAMI — Add LeBron James to the growing list of health concerns with the Miami Heat.
James was sent home from the shootaround practice Thursday morning because of illness. He’s a game-time decision for Miami’s matchup with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Miami will definitely be without guard Dwyane Wade, whose sprained right ankle will keep him sidelined for the second straight game. It’s the fifth game Wade will miss in Miami’s first 14 this season because of injury, the first three of those caused by a sore left foot.
“The show still goes on,” Heat forward Chris Bosh said. “We’re still going to expect to win.”
James has been battling flu-like symptoms for much of this week. He said it affected him in the early minutes of Miami’s game against San Antonio on Tuesday, a contest where he started slowly and still finished with 33 points, 17 of those in a huge third-quarter run as the Heat turned a 14-point halftime deficit into a 22-point win.
If James cannot play, the Heat will use Shane Battier and James Jones as the primary defenders against Bryant.
“It’s always a luxury having such great players on your team,” Bosh said. “But sometimes they’re out.
“This is why we made moves this season, was to be a deeper team.”
