Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James put up a performance for the ages on Saturday, scoring 56 points in the 124-116 win over the Golden State Warriors.
James and Kobe Bryant are now the only two players ever to record a 56-point game after turning 37. The four-time NBA champion shot 61.3% from the field and 54.5% from beyond the arc against the Warriors on a stunningly efficient night for the Lakers superstar.
James stepped up just at the right time, leading the Purple and Gold to their first win since the All-Star break. Russell Westbrook said hardly anyone can stop the forward when he plays at the level he did against the Warriors.
“When he has it going like that, there’s really nobody on their team that can do anything about it, Westbrook said. “Tonight, he forced his will and had his hands on the game at all levels. It was really big, especially tonight in games like this where we needed to win.”
Westbrook added he can learn from James when it comes to keeping his game efficient as he gets older.
“Just being around daily and seeing him be locked in, he’s playing at a level that people don’t really expect him to play at at his age, and to see it first-hand is something I can learn from as I continue to get older in this league,” he said.
“Find ways to be able to be effective, and not just that, he’s one of the best of all time and he’s showing exactly why he’s that year after that, he keeps proving other people wrong.”
Westbrook also emphasized James’ ability to maintain the rhythm in his play despite the many injuries that bothered the 37-year-old superstar earlier this season.
“He had some injuries this year, kind of put him out of rhythm from time to time, but he’s doing a good job of just sticking with his work, his craft and using it to his advantage each and every night,” he said.
James says he feels ‘pissed off’ when left out of best scorers conversation
James seems to have been extra motivated ahead of the win over the Warriors, opening up on being often left out of the conversations about the NBA’s all-time scorers in the season premiere of “The Shop.”
Many say the Lakers superstar is a passer first, ignoring the fact he recently replaced Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s all-time leading scorer. Although he cherishes being able to dish out assists to his teammates, James said he takes offense to seeing his scoring ability underemphasized.
“They don’t ever call me when they talk about the best scorers of all time, they never mention my name … Yeah it pisses me off,” he said.
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