The Los Angeles Lakers picked up their third signature victory of their road trip on Saturday night, battling with the red-hot New York Knicks and ultimately coming out on top.
After missing the Lakers’ win over the Boston Celtics, both LeBron James and Anthony Davis returned to the lineup and led their team to victory.
James led the Lakers in scoring with 24 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. He had the Madison Square Garden on their feet multiple times, most notably when he caught a bounce lob from D’Angelo Russell and threw it down in transition.
Throughout the course of his career, James has never been shy about how much he enjoys playing in New York at Madison Square Garden. After another great performance there, he explained why he loves it so much, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I mean, it’s great when the Knicks are winning and you get to come in here and play competitive basketball at the highest level. The [fans] know that every possession means something, especially in the fourth quarter. To be able to make some plays in the fourth quarter to turn the tide or whatever the case may be, it definitely helps and feels great. It’s the Mecca of basketball, we’ve seen so many great players and great teams, great things come through this building. So I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
James has been hampered by an ankle injury as of late that forced him to miss the Celtics game. He did everything he could to get healthy in order to play the Knicks game though, which he felt was a responsibility to the fans:
“Because it is a responsibility. There’s so many kids that look up to us as professional basketball players, look up to us as NBA guys, have looked up to me in my two-plus decades as a part of this league. So I think it is my responsibility to not only play the game at a high level, but represent the league with the utmost respect. Give back to the league because the league has given me so much. Just trying to set an example for the next generation. I haven’t gotten into ‘I’m the face of the league,’ I never, ever even said that. I always just understood there was a responsibility to be a professional, be a pro. I’ve always wanted to be that on and off the floor.”
The important thing for James and the Lakers was that they picked up a much-needed win as they look to work their way back into postseason contention.
As James has said before, this team has shown they are capable of beating any team on any given night, now they just need to find a way to do it consistently.
LeBron James won’t ask Lakers for trade
Amid the team’s recent struggles, LeBron James took to social media to post a cryptic hourglass emoji. While some suspected he could be looking for a trade, his agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports came out and said that won’t be the case.
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