The Los Angeles Lakers were in dire need of a win on Saturday night, and LeBron James made sure they got it, leading the team to a 124-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Every time James and Stephen Curry square off, all eyes are on them, and on this night, it was James that stole the show.
James scored 56 points, his most as a member of the Lakers, to go along with 10 rebounds, three assists and a block while shooting 19-of-31 from the field, 6-of-11 from three and 12-of-13 from the charity stripe.
James joins an elite club that includes Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Jamal Crawford as the only players 37 years of age or older to score 50 or more in an NBA game.
It couldn’t have come at a better time for the Lakers as they came out of the All-Star break losing four straight with their playoff hopes getting slimmer by the day. James put the team on his back though, willing them to victory over a tough Warriors team by knocking down shots from all over the court.
Russell Westbrook also had a solid game for the Lakers, finishing with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Carmelo Anthony did what he usually does off the bench, contributing 14 points and eight rebounds, knocking down a pair of threes, including the dagger to put the game out of reach for the Lakers late.
On the Warriors side of things, Curry led the way with 30 points, although the Lakers, specifically Austin Reaves, made things tough on him all night. Klay Thompson had an off-shooting night, finishing with only seven points on 3-of-13 shooting.
Up next for the Lakers…
The Lakers have played each of their five games since the All-Star break at Crypto.com Arena, although they now hit the road for a little Texas two-step, facing the San Antonio Spurs on Monday and then the Houston Rockets on Wednesday before returning home to host the Washington Wizards on Friday.
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