James misses 1st game of season for Lakers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James won’t play for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Denver Nuggets, the first game he’s missed this season.

The 34‐year‐old superstar sat out Sunday night because of a thoracic muscle strain. He’s listed as day‐to‐day and coach Frank Vogel had no estimate on how long James would be out. He was hurt in a loss at Indiana on Tuesday and then played through it in a defeat at Milwaukee two nights later. James has averaged nearly 35 minutes this season, helping the Western Conference‐leading Lakers to a 24‐5 start. He’s averaging 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 10.6 assists in his 17th season.

Last season, his first with the Lakers, James was limited to 55 games because of a groin injury.

Forward Kyle Kuzma returned Sunday for the Lakers after missing five games with a sprained left ankle. He also missed four games in October with a stress reaction in the same ankle.