King James in Agony?

LeBron James hopped on his right foot, sparing his sprained left ankle, and the Cleveland Cavaliers gasped a week before their first playoff appearance since 1998.

James was checked out on the court by Cavs athletic trainer Max Benton during a timeout, then made a free throw to complete his three-point play. He was taken out a second later, left the court moments afterward and had X-rays taken.

"It's sprained pretty good, but nothing serious," said James, who had 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting. "You never really know until the next day, but I've had them before, and this is nothing that bad."