Any time the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors face each other it is a must-see contest. Much of this has to do with the long-standing rivalry between two all-time greats in LeBron James and Stephen Curry, who always seem to bring the best out of each other.
A Lakers-Warriors contest also brings out many stars in the crowd and when the two teams faced off on Saturday night, arguably the greatest male tennis player of all-time, Novak Djokovic was there inside the Crypto.com Arena.
Djokovic was able to get a little time with both LeBron James before the game and Stephen Curry afterwards, and took to Instagram to praise the Lakers and Warriors stars and show his experiences at the game:
Djokovic also was able to get a little time on the court before the contest got started as well, and showed off his jumper, smoothly knocking down a 3-pointer:
Djokovic has always had an appreciation for basketball overall. He has spoken openly about his admiration for Kobe Bryant and how he has adopted that ‘Mamba Mentality’ to really help push him throughout his career, even paying tribute to Kobe after winning his record 24th Major Championship. Likewise, Djokovic has also commended LeBron for his focus and ongoing journey to remain dominant in the later stages of his career.
On that particular night, James did his best to step up as Anthony Davis had to leave the game with an eye injury. LeBron finished with 40 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, but it wasn’t enough as Curry led the Warriors with 31 points and Golden State left with a 128-121 win.
There is always a connection between those truly elite athletes who have changed the game and it is clear that Djokovic has an immense level of respect for both LeBron and Curry and their continued ability to be amongst the best despite getting older.
Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell noticing LeBron James locked in for Lakers’ stretch run
After that loss to the Warriors the Lakers were able to get back in the win column with a victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday and LeBron James was again excellent with a double-double of 25 points and 10 assists. Afterwards, Anthony Davis noted that it’s the time of year in which LeBron locks in on a different level.
“Bron is Bron,” Davis said. “Obviously, it’s that time of the year. Shooting the ball extremely well. In attack mode finding guys. He’s been locked in defensively. So it’s that time of year, especially for us, where every game is a playoff game. So the time of the year, extensively lock in and get the job done.”
Point guard D’Angelo Russell has taken notice of the same thing. “I mean, yeah,” Russell said. “His play is obviously showing that. Knowing that there’s what 13 or 14 games left? I think everybody has that in the back of their minds knowing that we’re coming to the end of the season, regular season, and whatnot.
“Trying to get in playoff form mentally and physically. Physically is always there, mentally I feel like he’s always there as well. I mean, he’s still dominates the game at that age, so I still feel like he’s there, too. So yeah, I guess.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!