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Tim McMahon
multiple authors
Houston – As Lebron James Late Wednesday night he was sitting in front of his locker, with ice packs wrapped around his right elbow and both knees while his feet were soaked in a bucket of ice. He insisted that he felt every bit his age, 41 years and 78 days.
“Look at me right now,” James said after acting 124-116 road victory Above Houston Rockets which matched Los Angeles Lakers‘ Season best seven-game winning streak. “Right now, I feel like s—. But in the game, I felt great. Before the game, I wasn’t feeling that good. I mean, I was yawning and tired and saying to myself, I was literally like talking to myself, ‘Come on, here we go. Let’s figure this out. Let’s deal with this.’
“But I felt really good in the game. I’m happy that I was able to play a few games and help our team win.”
Six of those plays were dunks during James’ 30-point performance on 13-of-14 shooting.
“It’s really impressive,” the Lakers star said. luka doncicWho had another sensational performance with 40 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. “This is madness.”
According to ESPN Research, James had not had that many dunks in a game since March 9, 2017. James threw three alley-oops, matching his most dunks in any game during his 23-year career.
The first of those alley-oops was one wrong foot on the guard’s part marcus smart On a back cut to James, a pass appeared to go into the baseline seats. But James jumped to catch the pass and slammed it in, which was a great highlight for any player, regardless of age.
The Lakers guard said, “The fact that he’s 41 years old, he’s still as athletic or more athletic than about 95% of the players in the league — still — and he’s probably, I think everyone would agree, he’s lost a little bit of athleticism.” austin reevesWho had 14 points and eight assists. “It’s crazy to think.” [about]. It’s absolutely mind-blowing.”
James’ athletic prowess was on display in Wednesday’s win at its finest, but it wasn’t necessarily shocking. According to NBA Advanced Stats, he entered the night second in the league in fast-break points (279), behind Speedy. philadelphia 76ers guard tyreese maxi. James has 77 dunks in 48 games, including three in Monday’s win over the Rockets.
“I’m not surprised anymore,” said Kevin DurantThe Rockets’ 37-year-old superstar, who had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the loss. “I mean, he’s a freak athlete. He’s a generational athlete. He cares about the game and loves it. Cares about his body. That’s what he does. He’s built for it, you know what I’m saying? Since he was a kid.
“I think he can play until he’s 45. I don’t know if he wants to play that long, but honestly I think he can play for another four to five years. And yes, it’s no surprise now. I mean, his age, he’s 41, but he looks great out there.”
James became the first Laker since Shaquille O’Neal in March 2003 to score at least 30 points on 90% shooting. He became the oldest player in NBA history to accomplish this feat, a distinction he previously held. portland trail blazers Center arvydas sabonisJoe was 36 years and 108 days old when he scored 32 points on 11-of-12 shooting.
James’ only miss came on a drive early in the fourth quarter. of houston Tari Eason Was credited with a block, although James raised his arms after falling to the ground and complained to the referee.
Lakers coach JJ Redick quipped, “The one shot he missed, he was trying to make a foul shot.”
Redick is also 41, about six months older than James, and retired as a player in 2021 after a 15-year career. He joked that seeing James’ explosiveness on a regular basis at this age made him feel like a “loser”.
“I can still touch the rim,” Redick said. “I can’t jump for three days after this, but I have a jump in me.
“The preparation that he puts into his body over and over again – to me that’s the ultimate sign of competitive stamina. He just keeps at it every day and he gets ready to ring the bell.”
The Lakers are relying on James less than ever and are getting extraordinary results from the all-time leading scorer who has accepted his role as the team’s third offensive option behind Doncic and Reaves. James has taken 15 or fewer field goal attempts in his last eight games, which is double any previous streak in his career with those few shots. James is averaging 20.8 points on 61.5% shooting over that span, and the Lakers have won seven of eight games.
“Part of his growth on this team and especially on this field has been his patience,” Redick said. “His patience, knowing he’s going to get the ball and he’s going to have opportunities in transition, and plays will be called for him, and he’s going to play the ball and get a corner 3 on the first play of the game. He’s going to have those opportunities, and he’s played really patiently.”
James’s late bucket in Wednesday’s win, which tightened the Lakers’ hold on the third seed in the Western Conference to 44-25, was evidence of the chemistry developing between him and Doncic. Doncic split two defenders on a pick-and-roll to drive down the middle of the floor, and James executed a perfectly timed cut from the weak-side corner. Doncic drew the crowd into the paint and tossed a lob to James, who finished with two hands, a dagger that put the Lakers up by six with 1:22 remaining.
Doncic celebrated by walking sideways across the court, smiling and glaring at a courtside fan who had engaged him in trash talk throughout the game.
“Winning is fun, so I think the way we play is a lot of fun,” Doncic said. “That’s what we do. We win and have a good time.”
