LeBron James is highly confident that he will be fully fit come Christmas day after picking up an ankle injury during the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on the opening night of the ongoing NBA season.

The Lakers lost 116-109 to the Clippers and it was James who scored a team-high 22 points, along with providing five rebounds and an equal number of assists, before going to the sidelines due to his injury. James encountered the issue when his ankle buckled while defending against the Clippers’ Ivica Zubac with 7.51 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

“I turned it pretty good, but I don’t think it’s going to stop me from playing on Friday,” he said.

“So, have a couple days, you know how I am about treatment, so I’ll do that around the clock and I think I should be fine by then.”

“I’ll go home and have dinner right now. I’ll ice it, and I’ll drink some wine that will flow right to the ankle. I can make sure I can drink on the left side of my body so it just goes right down to my left leg, right down to my ankle.

“But I’ll be around the clock. I’ll wake up [Wednesday] morning before I leave the house, and also I’ll get some more treatment at the facility and just continue to do that. Like I said, we have a couple days, so I’ll be fine.”

There were some positives for the Lakers, despite the loss and James’ injury. Dennis Schroder, their off-season arrival, threatened a triple-double on his regular-season debut with 12 assists, 14 points and eight assists.

However, the Lakers still remain heavily reliant on James and his pairing with Anthony Davis for another successful season. Last season, Davis averaged 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and a league-high 10.2 assists per game. He would be eager to turn up with at least the same numbers this season, of not better. The Lakers face Dallas Mavericks next on Christmas Day.