BOSTON >> LeBron James didn’t sound overly concerned after straining his groin in the waning minutes of Los Angeles’ 111-101 loss to Boston on Saturday night.

He also wasn’t willing to put a timetable on how fast he could be back on the court as the Lakers look to maintain their recent surge in the standings.

“Not much concern,” James said. “Obviously, I’m day-to-day. I’ll look at it each day and see if it gets better, and take the proper measures to see what I need to do moving forward.”

James exited during a timeout with 6:44 to play after contesting a layup by Jaylen Brown. He walked gingerly to the huddle during an ensuing timeout and then barely moved before making his way to the locker room with trainers. He finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.

He said his first thoughts went to his first season in Los Angeles in 2018 when he suffered a groin injury during a Christmas Day matchup with Golden State. He missed the next 17 games and the injury bothered him for most of the remainder of the season.

Soccer

Minnesota beats Earthquakes >> Kelvin Yeboah scored for the second consecutive game and Dayne St. Clair had two saves on Saturday night to help Minnesota United beat the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0.

Yeboah back-heeled a volley to open the scoring in the 38th minute. Tani Oluwaseyi, along the end line, went high above two defenders and flicked a header out toward the right corner of the area. Michael Boxall pushed a side-foot one-touch pass to Yeboah for the finish from near the penalty spot.

NHL

Islanders top Sharks >> Jean-Gabriel Pageau had a goal and two assists, Ilya Sorokin stopped 38 shots and the New York Islanders beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2 on Saturday night.

Nikolai Kovalenko and Will Smith scored for the Sharks, who have lost 10 of their last 12 (2-7-3). Macklin Celebrini had two assists and Alexandar Georgiev finished with 24 saves.

NFL

Garrett OK >> Myles Garrett is staying in Cleveland after the Browns gave him a record four-year contract extension that makes the four-time All-Pro edge rusher the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

Garrett, the 2023 AP Defensive Player of the Year, had asked for a trade last month but the Browns were adamant about keeping the 29-year-old star in Cleveland.

Garrett’s contract raises the bar for other non-QBs, including Bengals All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons.

Bills release Miller >> The Buffalo Bills made the long-anticipated salary cap-saving decision to release edge rusher Von Miller.

The Bills are parting ways with a high-profile but aging player who turns 36 later this month and whose contract proved too expensive for his dwindling playing time and production.

The move allows the Bills to free up at least $8.4 million in salary cap space, which comes close to matching how much the team was projected to be over the limit before the NFL’s new year begins Wednesday.

Baseball

Minnesota’s Ramirez out >> Minnesota right-hander Erasmo Ramirez has a significant tear in his shoulder and will be out for an extended period.

Twins trainer Nick Paparesta told reporters about the injury, adding that it will be weeks before Ramirez is re-examined to determine his progress.

The 34-year-old Ramirez signed a minor league contract with the Twins in the offseason and was vying for a position in their bullpen.

Alvarez out >> New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez has a fractured hamate bone in his left hand that will require surgery.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said that Alvarez sustained the injury Saturday during live batting practice and that he’d have surgery Monday.