There were no boos on Saturday, only MVP chants.
Another loss didn’t blindside the Lakers. Instead, LeBron James reminded everyone that he’s still got plenty of punch in his game after scoring a sublime 56 points in the Lakers’ 124-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena.
James toyed with the Warriors, making six three-pointers and dominating the fourth quarter to give the Lakers their biggest victory this season.
A four-game losing streak ended as a legend took another step toward best-ever status.
It was the most points he’d scored in four years with the Lakers and came oh-so-close to the career-high 61 he scored in 2014 with Cleveland.
“Right now, I don’t give a damn about the 56. I’m just happy we got a win,” James said. “We needed pretty much all of [my points] going against a team that’s just so explosive offensively.”
James, 37, started the Lakers’ run in the fourth quarter by making three-pointers on three consecutive possessions as the Lakers took a 100-97 lead with 7:51 to play. The threes were from 29, 28 and 26 feet well behind the three-point line.
For good measure, he also took charge in the fourth quarter, set a screen to free D.J. Augustin for a three-pointer and found Carmelo Anthony for a key three with 34.3 seconds left.
He also walked past Matthew Stafford in the final minute and informed the LA Rams quarterback he needed to “put on a show” because the Super Bowl champion was sitting courtside.
“There’s really no words for it,” Lakers Coach Frank Vogel said. “An incredible performance by the best to ever do it, in my opinion.”
James is only 208 points behind Karl Malone for second place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. At this rate, he’ll pass Malone in a couple of weeks and, assuming good health, overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the top spot before the All-Star break next season.
James became the first Lakers player with at least 55 points and 10 rebounds in a game since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000.
“It’s ‘Bron being ‘Bron,” Reaves told Spectrum SportsNet, showing knowledge that went beyond his rookie status. “Give him the ball and get the hell out of the way.”
James wasn’t the only one with key contributions in the final minutes.
Malik Monk hit a big three-pointer, Reaves took an important offensive rebound and Anthony scored six clutch points down the stretch.
Stephen Curry scored 30 points for the Warriors, who fell to 43-21 and dropped to third place in the Western Conference.
It wasn’t all great news for the Lakers (28-35), who remained in ninth place in the West.
They gave up 42 points in the second quarter and become the first Lakers team ever to allow a 40-point quarter in four consecutive games.
But a win is a win, especially in a season like this. James made sure of it.