Mocking the end of this year's ball-saving efforts! James shows off his wound and complains about pain, congratulating Doncic on winning the Weekly Best award.

On March 17 Beijing time, Lakers star LeBron James updated his social media, posting a picture of a wound on his leg and captioning it humorously: "Ball-saving for this year is over, ouch, that hurts!" James also forwarded the poster announcing Doncic's selection as the Weekly Best player to congratulate him.

In the Lakers' overtime victory over the Nuggets on March 15, James contributed 17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Although his stats were not as explosive as Doncic and Reaves', his two diving ball-saving plays during the game sparked heated discussions. This 41-year-old veteran is too dedicated!

It now appears that those two ball-saving plays came at a cost. James' leg was scraped, and he joked that his ball-saving efforts for this year might be over. American media also noted that it seems unlikely we'll see James diving for balls like that again in the short term. So far this season, James has played 46 games, averaging 21.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. The Lakers are 42-25, currently ranked third in the Western Conference.

The Lakers' opponent today is the Rockets. NBA officials have hyped up this matchup: "A showdown of scoring kings: James and Durant will face off twice within three days. The Los Angeles Lakers, riding a five-game winning streak, will take on the Houston Rockets, with a rematch scheduled two days later at the same time. Their combined regular-season career points exceed 75,000 (43,162 + 32,206). James is the NBA's all-time scoring leader, while Durant (ranked 6th) needs only 87 more points to surpass Michael Jordan and move into fifth place. The Lakers, currently third in the West, and the Rockets, fourth, are separated by just half a game."

Earlier, Doncic was named the Western Conference Weekly Best Player, having helped the Lakers defeat the Timberwolves, Bulls, and Nuggets in succession. He averaged 38.3 minutes per game, scoring 37.3 points with shooting splits of 46.9% FG, 42.5% 3PT, and 79.2% FT, while also contributing 10.7 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game. This 27-year-old star recorded two triple-doubles and one double-double across those three games, and delivered his first 50+ point performance since joining the Lakers. James promptly congratulated his teammate.