"The first quarter was just kind of a feel out quarter to see how my groin would react," LeBron James said of his return to the court after a 17-game absence due to a strained groin, a stretch where the Lakers went 6-11 and fell out of playoff position. In the fourth quarter Thursday night, the Clippers went on a 7-0 run that cut the lead down to six. LeBron stepped up and hit a three.