LeBron James continues to defy time and put in impressive performances to help the Los Angeles Lakers rack up wins, including Thursday night’s victory over Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat.
Last night’s masterclass was a 19-point triple-double, featuring King James grabbing 15 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. Coupled with his teammate Luka Doncic going off for a 60-point night, the result was a Lakers’ 134-126 win for their eighth straight.
Los Angeles trailed 65-59 at the half, but staged a second-half comeback to seize the victory. They also maintained their pursuit of one of the top playoff spots in the Western Conference, where San Antonio qualified last evening, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are already in.
All of that said, LeBron continues to face criticism, which mostly arrived before his team went on this stellar winning streak. The King pushed back on those remarks about Los Angeles not needing him to succeed.
A question popped up for James after his 124th triple-double, asking about how he, Austin Reaves, and Luka have finally started playing so well together. He mentioned the “time factor” involved in “putting in the work” together on the floor to make things happen.
“It sells papers a lot easier if you say the team is better off without me. A lot of people try to view it that way, so I get it-but that's absolutely wrong,” James told reporters postgame.
He mentioned that last year, Luka had just joined the team and was getting comfortable in the lineup. James also mentioned that Reaves and Luka were playing well together when he was out earlier this season, so he had to come back and “figure out” how to work best with them.
Criticism has arrived earlier in the season with LeBron at 41, suggesting the Lakers could move on from the NBA legend in a passing-of-the-torch moment for Luka Doncic. Some indicated a trade might be ideal so that the Lakers could play better without him.
However, as James suggested, some teams take time to get into a rhythm and work best together. Injuries throughout the season have kept Luka, LeBron, and Reaves off the court, preventing them from truly developing the team chemistry they are now showing.
However, James is now back in the lineup, and along with wins, he is on the verge of another historic milestone. King James tied NBA legend Robert Parrish by appearing in his 1,611th NBA regular-season game.
The Lakers will go for their ninth-straight victory on Saturday night against Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic.
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