LeBron James turned back the clock on Sunday night as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers on the road for the first time in eight years. James had 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but his best moment came in crunchtime, when he scored 10 consecutive Lakers points on four made baskets to give L.A. the lead and keep them ahead.
He hit two long 2s and two 3s over a four-minute stretch at the end of the game, taking over in a way many thought was no longer possible after the slow start the Lakers star has had to the season. After all, this was LeBron’s first game after his historic double-digit scoring streak came to an end.
After the win, he spoke about what he’s been feeling so far this season and how glad he was to have a truly vintage James performance in a Lakers victory, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“At 40 years old, I mean, it just takes a while for my body to kind of get back into a rhythm,” James said. “And so it felt good tonight to kind of feel like myself a little bit.”
One of LeBron’s greatest contributions to this Lakers team will be his versatility. He can be whatever the team needs him to be on any given night. On Sunday, they needed him as a scorer, and he recognized that late in the game:
“I felt like the opportunity kind of presented itself,” James said. “I felt like my two heavy hitters kind of didn’t have it or needed a little kick, and I tried to punch in from there.”
James loved being able to hit clutch shots in a winning effort for the Lakers:
“To do it [and go on a scoring spree] in a win is even more important,” James said. “To be able to come up clutch in a win, that’s even more exciting.”
Sunday night should quell any fan’s fears of LeBron no longer having the ability to take over games or be an elite player. He is going to need to be selective over when moments like this happen, but he is still more than capable — even as he nears 41 years old — of being the primary creator and initiator when the game script calls for it.
JJ Redick jokes that he’s glad LeBron James’ streak is over
LeBron James famously had his streak of regular season double-digit scoring games come to an end on Thursday night against the Toronto Raptors. He made the right play in the final moments of the game, passing it to Rui Hachimura to hit the game-winning 3 at the buzzer to help lift the team to their 16th win of the early season.
The double-digit scoring streak had become a significant conversation in the games leading up the Thursday. Since returning from his sciatica issue, James has not been a dominant scorer the way he had been for 22 years prior. It’s clear that he’s still ramping up, but needed to work extra hard in a few games to reach that 10-point benchmark.
And now that it’s over, someone who might feel a little better is head coach JJ Redick. In response to a reporter’s question about the challenge of scoring 10 points in an NBA game, he joked that perhaps it’s better than LeBron’s streak came to an end.
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