LeBron James may play against the Portland Trail Blazers in spite of injury

LeBron has exacerbated a groin injury and the team has a tough decision to make for their upcoming games.

Los Angeles Lakers Superstar LeBron James was injured in the first quarter of their Christmas day game against the Los Angeles Clippers. He aggravated an old groin injury that he suffered last season, which limited him to 55 games. Insiders claim that despite the injury, he is expected to play in back-to-back games this weekend.

James has been playing injured since last week. He already missed the game against the Denver Nuggets and according to CBS Sports, he aggravated the injury during his collision with the Clippers' Patrick Beverley. Last season, James suffered a "left groin" injury in a blowout game against the Golden State Warriors that sidelined him for almost 40 games. This time, the Lakers announced that he exacerbated a "right groin" injury that the Lakers management was aware of, yet cleared him to play. His status is currently listed as "day-to-day."

Back-to-back games will put James' health status at risk. But with the Lakers in a four-game losing streak, it's a big decision to make. The decision is even harder with the other Lakers superstar, Anthony Davis, also injured after twisting his knee last week in a game against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Lakers are scheduled to play against the Portland Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks. Both teams are in the top eight of the Western Conference. The Lakers still hold the conference lead at 24-7 even after losing four straight games, but losing two more will put their number one seed at risk.

The next two games are very crucial but their schedule is going to get easier soon after. They are scheduled to play home games against the Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons, and New York Knicks. It is an excellent opportunity to rest their star players or to secure their first place standing, depending on how the Lakers management plays their cards.

They can either rest James and Anthony, then get them back healthy against four teams with a low chance of getting into the playoffs, or they can risk them holding the fort for two games and rest them afterward.