Playing the second match in two consecutive days and going into extra time, the legs of a 39-year-old LeBron James were somewhat tired.
Yesterday (February 29) he carried the team to an emotional 21-point comeback victory over the LA Clippers, a performance that included five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter alone.
No one will blame James if the Lakers lose, but he himself will not allow that to happen. The clearest evidence is in the ball below.
Midway through the first overtime period of the match against the Washington Wizards at home, the Los Angeles Lakers were leading 131-128. LeBron James made a mistake when he passed the ball and hit the opponent’s foot and suffered a turnover.
The Wizards immediately launched a counterattack with a pass that was just within reach of Tyus Jones, giving the scoring opportunity to Jordan Poole, who was alone heading towards the Lakers’ basket.
If the former Warriors player successfully finishes, it will increase the gap to 5 points and bring a huge mental advantage to the away team. But LeBron James immediately rushed back to his home court to correct his mistake.
The result was a stunning block that James “gave” Jordan Poole, a player 15 years younger than him. Not stopping there, LeBron followed up the highlight defense with a difficult 3-pointer on the other side of the court and Assisted Davis with a shot near the basket, putting the Lakers up 133-131.
A series of 5-0 points minus a chase-down block entirely by LeBron James contributed to a 134-131 victory for the Los Angeles Lakers, completing a double win for a pair of matches taking place on two consecutive days. (back-to-back).
LeBron scored 31 points with 9 assists and 4 rebounds in 39 minutes of play. Besides the goal of winning the match to help the Lakers improve their position in the rankings, the “king” is also pursuing the number of 40,000 points scored in his career.
By the end of the match against the Wizards on March 1, LeBron James only had 9 points left to conquer the above milestone.
Although James occupied the “spotlight” with the series of excellent situations mentioned above, Anthony Davis was the one who contributed the most to this victory of the Los Angeles Lakers. Bigman born in 1993 played 41 minutes, scored 40 points and 15 rebounds, 4 assists and has 3 more blocks.
Can’t ignore D’Angelo Russell with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Austin Reaves scored 12 points (6-11 FG) and had 2 “clutch” baskets at the end of the 4th quarter as well as in overtime.
The joy of the Los Angeles Lakers is the sadness of the Washington Wizards. The team led by former LA players Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole suffered their 13th consecutive defeat, ending February (US time) without a single victory.
Jordan Poole came off the bench but still scored 34 points (5-12 3PT) and had 7 assists. Kyle Kuzma and Cory Kispert each contributed 20 points. Bigman Marvin Bagley III scored 23 points (911-14 FG) and had 2 more blocks.
In their next appearance, the Washington Wizards will face the LA Clippers tomorrow morning (Saturday, March 2). Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have a day off and host the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Sunday morning, March 3.
