Masked LeBron James keeps Knicks at bay

LeBron James returned to action last night to lead the Miami Heat to a 108-82 victory against the New York Knicks.

James took to the court sporting a fashion forward face mask to protect the broken nose he suffered during a game against Oklahoma City Thunder.

During the Oklahoma game last week, James was struck in the face midway through the fourth quarter by Thunder forward Serge Ibaka on a drive to the basket.

“I told him I’d expect nothing less from him — fashion-forward, cutting-edge Renaissance man that LeBron is,” said Heat forward Shane Battier of the mask.

“I thought it looked pretty sweet. I don’t think that it will inspire people to go out there and break their nose. But if you’re going to do it, it can look kind of cool. Only LeBron can make breaking your nose look cool.”

James initially told some of his teammates and the media that he would likely wear a clear fiberglass mask that is worn by several other players in the league to protect facial injuries. But James emerged Thursday with a sleek design that was significantly more dynamic.

“It went with the uniform,” said James.

“I knew we were wearing throwback uniforms. I was able to get a carbon fiber one, which is actually lighter than the one I had been wearing in practice. It came through at the last minute, so I went with it.”

James scored a game-high 31 points.