- LeBron James inspired Lakers to a thrilling 145-144 overtime victory over long time rivals Golden State Warriors
- The Warriors vs Lakers game marked the first time opposing players at least 35 years old each scored at least 35 points
On Saturday, LeBron James inspired Lakers to a thrilling 145-144 overtime victory over long time rivals Golden State Warriors during the Warriors vs Lakers match.
James scored 36 points and recorded a career-high 20 rebounds plus 12 assists at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California. He sealed the win for the Lakers with just a second remaining on the clock by sinking his two free throws. The Warriors had grabbed a one-point lead after a brilliant 28-foot three pointer jumper by Steph Curry.
Steph Curry and LeBron James during the Warriors vs Lakers game. Photo/ NBC Sports.
In total, the Lakers hit 38 of 43 free throws, with their opponents attempting only 16. This was the second straight time that the Warriors have suffered defeats, having lost 133-134 to Sacramento on Thursday in another rematch of last year’s playoff. On the other hand, it was the Lakers’ second straight win
The Warriors vs Lakers game marked the first time opposing players at least 35 years old each scored at least 35 points. It was also the first time since the start of this season that Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green were on the opening tip.
LeBron played 48 minutes and provided the magic that won the Lakers the game. Twelve of his 36 points were scored in the two OTs. Anthony Davis had 29 points and 13 rebounds while D’Angelo Russell managed 28 points.
LeBron James The Hero For Lakers
The late drama came on a night when it seemed the Los Angeles Lakers were headed for another round of lineup changes. The Lakers were trailing by one point (144-143) with 4.7 seconds left in double overtime (OTs). But for a team with experienced players like LeBron, that was a lot of time to turn the Warriors vs Lakers game around.
It took the purple and gold two timeouts to pass the throw-in to their main star LeBron, who was up against Brandin Podziemski on the top of the key. LeBron, who is currently the oldest player in the NBA, showed brilliance by starting up immediately and leaving no chance for the Dubs to double-team him.
After successfully beating Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga, LeBron managed to reach the rim when Draymond Green decided to commit a foul to stop him. This was the first time that Green had been featured in the Warriors starting lineup since his suspension ended.
Against the Lakers, he had recorded eight points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. On top of that, he had also managed three steals, two blocks and plus-minus of 31, which apparently was the team’s best. His presence on the court allowed Curry to focus on scoring rather than making plays as he had previously been doing.
LeBron James was the hero as Lakers secured a thrilling victory over the Warriors. Photo/ Peking Palace.
Since the start of this season, LeBron has been brilliant with free throws, making 4.1 at 74.2 percent game. And before the game defining moment after being fouled by Green at Chase Center, the 39-year-old had gone 4-for-4.
LeBron did what exactly the Lakers fans expected him to do, knocking down both shots. And with that, he gave the purple and gold a one point lead. With exactly 1.2 seconds left and without a timeout, there was no way the Warriors were going to get back at this. Curry did try his best to release the ball at a supersonic speed for the a 3-pointer but time ran out.
“t’s something I’ll be able to talk about with my grandkids, talk about me being able to compete with one of the greatest players to ever play the game,” James said. “So hopefully I can be cool with my grandkids at that point, for sure.” LeBron James said after the Warriors vs Lakers match, as per ESPN.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login