Just a few days prior, LeBron James looked every bit of the 41 years of age that he is, lamenting how tired he was after the Lakers’ physically-taxing loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
But after sitting out of Tuesday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs, he looked refreshed on Thursday night against the Dallas Mavericks.
James was dancing during his pregame warmups.
He was back to being his typically spry self.
And he had one of his best starts to a game this season, which the Lakers needed with Luka Doncic once again sidelined because of his strained hamstring, en route to a historical triple-double and an eventual Lakers’ 124-104 win over the Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena.
The four-time league MVP finished with 28 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, with his final defensive rebound at the 2:05 mark of the fourth giving him the historical statistical achievement.
Rui Hachimura added 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while Austin Reaves added 18 points, six assists and four rebounds.
Jaxson Hayes, starting in place of Deandre Ayton (right knee soreness), finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists against a Mavericks team that was without No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.
What it means
The Lakers snapped their two-game losing streak and will enter the All-Star break on a high note.
By improving to a 33-21 record, the Lakers moved back up to the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference standings, passing the Minnesota Timberwolves (34-22) because of percentage points.
Turning point
When Khris Middleton missed a wide-open corner 3-pointer at the 2:59 mark in the third quarter.
The Lakers had just taken an 89-80 lead after back-to-back 3s from Jarred Vanderbilt and Maxi Kleber sandwiched around a step midrange jumper from Max Christie.
If Middleton made the 3, the Mavericks would’ve cut their deficit to six, and had momentum on their side against a Lakers team looking to enter the break on a high note.
But what transpired after Middleton’s missed 3 was Lakers coach JJ Redick calling a timeout, with Austin Reaves assisting Jaxson Hayes on a floater on the team’s ensuing possession, which started a 7-2 run the Lakers closed the quarter on to give them a 96-82 lead going into the fourth.
The Lakers led by double digits for the remainder of the game.
MVP: LeBron James
James led the Lakers early, recording 14 points, six assists and two rebounds in the opening quarter.
He scored or assisted on 11 of the Lakers’ 14 made shots in the first.
James finished with 10-of-20 shooting from the field.
Stat of the game: 41 years, 44 days
That’s how old James was on Thursday, making him the oldest player in league history to record a triple-double.
James was almost a full year older than Karl Malone when Malone was 40 years and 127 days old when he recoerded a 10 point-11 rebound-10 assist triple-double in a Lakers win over the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 28, 2003.
Not only is James now the oldest player in league history to record a triple-double, but he’s also got 16 of the other top-17 spots for oldest players to record the statistical feat.
Up next
A much-needed break from games with the All-Star Weekend on the horizon.
The Lakers won’t play again until they host the Clippers in their first game after the break on Feb. 20.
They have a few players set to participate in All-Star festivities over the weekend: Hayes in Saturday night’s Dunk Contest; Doncic and James in Sunday’s All-Star Game.
