LeBron James didn’t have an incredible statistical game on Thursday night versus the Los Angeles Clippers, but he certainly closed the contest out the right way.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar had massive plays on both ends of the court, willing his team to victory.
Following the game, James spoke about his role in his team’s win.
“I love having the ball in my hands late in the game, tie game, being down, being up,” James said during a video conference after the game. “We had a three-point game with like 40 seconds to go; we had a great look for Danny [Green], he missed it — Paul George came back and hit a 3 to tie the game. For me, just try to be aggressive. I felt like I got some contact at the elbow by Marcus Morris Sr.; they didn’t call it. But like it was told to me as a kid since I started playing basketball, there’s no whistle, you keep playing on. So I was able to follow my own shot and put us up, and put us up for good.”
James finished the night with 16 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, one block and one steal. The near triple-double performance was quite pedestrian for his standards.
However, in the last 30 seconds of the game, he essentially willed his team to victory.
First, James nailed a put-back layup after he grabbed his own rebound with just over 12 seconds left in the game.
Then, James locked down both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the ensuing possession as the two Clippers stars struggled to get a clean shot.
Ultimately, George hoisted a last-ditch 3-pointer that clanked out.
Without a doubt, James is as locked in as ever as the Lakers restart their championship bid in Orlando, Fla.
He’ll get his next chance to prove his dominance on Saturday, when the Lakers take on the Toronto Raptors.
