The Los Angeles Lakers looked to be on the verge of dropping their first game of the season Saturday night against the Sacramento Kings, but LeBron James had different plans and continues to defy what a player in his 22nd NBA season should be capable of.
James led a 21-0 Lakers run to start to start the fourth, scoring 11 straight and 16 total points in the midst of it all as the Lakers took down the Kings for a 3-0 start to the season. LeBron was unbelievable as the Lakers took over and had it all working when the Lakers needed it most.
“I guess a little bit of everything,” James responded when asked what was working for him in the fourth. “Just caught a rhythm, got my outside shot going, got a couple and-ones in the paint as well, got a backdoor from D-Lo that worked well. Just tried to see what I had going and help us get over the hump on this back-to-back.”
He certainly got the Lakers over that hump, finishing with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his first triple-double of the year. And once he got them there, it was Anthony Davis who brought it home as he scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth as well.
But after three home games to start the season, the Lakers are set for their first road trip of the year and James knows it won’t be easy.
“It’s a process still for us, we’re still learning,” LeBron added. “We wanna continue to get better and better every night and I think through three games we did that, but it’s gonna be a tough road trip for us coming up. I think it’s 11 days, five games and there’s some tough opponents so it’ll be a test for us.”
One thing that will help the Lakers on this trip is if they can continue the balanced outing they had on offense as the other three starters all scored at least 16 points. James being able to have outbursts like he did on this night is great, but he knows his teammates are capable of providing a big scoring boost as well.
“I could do that at 22, at almost 40 I don’t need to be doing it for four quarters,” LeBron said of his run in the fourth. “I have the luxury of having an MVP-caliber player next to me. AR can get it going in bunches, D-Lo can catch fire, Rui’s been consistent and he can get going and score in bunches as well. This team is not built for me to have 16-point quarters all four quarters, it’s not how it’s constructed, nor should it be. We’re a team and we have to play together.”
So far the Lakers have been doing exactly that and if it continues, along with the outstanding play of Davis and LeBron flipping the switch when necessary, they are going to be a problem for every team in the NBA.
LeBron James wants to play all 82 games for the Lakers this season
Because LeBron James is in his 22nd season, there is always a discussion of load management for him and making sure he is physically able to deliver when the postseason comes around. But the Lakers star himself doesn’t want to hear any talk of that.
“Yeah, yeah. I plan to play every game. We’ll see what happens if I don’t,” James said following the Lakers’ victory over the Phoenix Suns.
With the Kings game the second night of a back-to-back for the Lakers there was some thought maybe he would get a rest day, but that wasn’t going to happen and thankfully it didn’t as LeBron went to another level once again.
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