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LeBron James tries to steal the ball from Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Grizzlies in the first half. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
LeBron James eased his way into the season, ceding shots to Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves, committing to JJ Redick’s style and letting his teammates establish himself in the first handful of games in his 21st season.
Maybe it was him being respectful of a new process. Maybe it was a sign that time, the opponent he’d never lost to, was going to claim its eventual victory.
Or, just maybe, it was all a mirage, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and one of its greatest players still lurking, waiting for the moment to strike.
Wednesday, James did everything in leading the Lakers to a 128-123 win over Memphis.
When the offense went cold, he scored. When the ball bounced off the rim, he corralled it. And when a teammate shook open, he found him.
James scored 35 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had 14 assists — his third straight triple-double — all leading to Lakers wins inside their home arena.
It’s the fourth time in his career with back-to-back-to-back triple-doubles. Among the 11 oldest players ever to have a game with a triple-double, James has 10 of them.
Wednesday’s heroics came with the Lakers having blown an early 15-point lead while their leading scorer, Anthony Davis, had been hampered with foul trouble and was largely ineffective.
Read more: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke, is expected to make full recovery
Through it all, James was terrific, keeping the Lakers engaged and in the game even when it teetered.
The Lakers, who had two days off to get ready for the Grizzlies, attacked Memphis early, playing like a team looking to get one back after losing in Tennessee last week.
The ball popped from one side to the other, the Lakers creating open threes off crisp passing, forceful cuts and colliding screens.
They corrected a lot of their defensive issues, sprinting back in transition and cleaning up Memphis misses off the glass.
And then it stopped.
Everything the Lakers did right in the opening minutes Wednesday quickly turned, as the team’s energy evaporated and their…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/another-lebron-james-triple-double-055738479.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-11-14 05:57:00
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