LeBron’s highest-scoring game kills Lakers losing streak
The Lakers desperately needed a win and LeBron James used that desperation as fuel, accounting for 56 points in the 124-116 victory over the Warriors.
After a four-game losing streak, the LA Lakers finally got a much-needed victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. They can thank LeBron James for that. The 38-year-old broke records that night, scoring his highest-scoring game with the Lakers with 56 total points, tied for the third-highest in his entire career.
LeBron inspired by desperation to win
LeBron helped the Lakers get the lead early on, scoring 13 points in just the first quarter and giving them a seven-point lead going into the second. It was a struggle for them to keep it up though, and the Warriors were able to come back, scoring a total of 42 points in the second quarter alone and taking a five-point lead back from LA, 67-62 going into the half.
The Lakers’ hopes at even getting an opportunity at a play-in tournament are looking grim. LeBron knows that the Lakers needed the win, and he let that desperation inspire him to play even harder.
LA stayed behind throughout the third quarter, but LeBron came alive in the fourth. He hit three consecutive threes to start it out, putting the Lakers up by one to give them the lead again. After a back-and-forth showdown between the Lakers and Warriors, LA got eight shots in a row and Carmelo Anthony’s three-pointer on a LeBron pass with 34 seconds left put them up by six. The Lakers got the victory they so desperately needed, 124-116.
LeBron ended the game with 56 points, ten rebounds, and three assists, going six-for-11 from the three-point range, making 19-of-31 shits from the field, and 12-of-13 free throws.
Not only did he hit a franchise-high 56 points, but LeBron also became the oldest player in NBA history to hit more than 55 points and more than ten rebounds in a game. He joins Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Jamal Crawford as the only players above the age of 37 to score more than 50 points in a game.
LeBron and Wilt Chamberlain are the only two NBA players to have scored more than 55 points in a game for multiple teams.
The Lakers finally have something to celebrate and spirits should be lifted going into the next two road games against the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets, two teams who are both sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference.