LeBron James clearly doesn’t have it every night as he approaches 41 years old.
But he remains capable of bringing it. The Philadelphia 76ers found out the hard way Sunday night.
Two games after James scored eight points to break a 1,297-game streak of scoring in double figures, he scored 10 straight Lakers points down the fourth-quarter stretch to lead the Los Angeles to a 112-108 road win.
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His first bucket of the run extended a Lakers lead to 102-98. With the game tied at 105 and 1:11 remaining, James took a pass from Luka Dončić and pulled up from 3 to retake the lead for the Lakers.
On the next Los Angeles possession with the Lakers up by 3, James faced up Quentin Grimes from the top of the key beyond the 3-point line. He then drove to the left wing past the elbow and pulled up for a fadeaway jumper with Grimes’ hand in his face.
The ball fell through the net for a 110-105 Lakers lead that iced the win and stunned the Philadelphia crowd.
The bucket capped a stellar night for James in his first game since his eight-point effort in Thursday’s win over the Toronto Raptors. That night, Austin Reaves led the way with 44 points as James struggled and Dončić didn’t play.
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There were no struggles Sunday as James finished with 29 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block and 1 steal while shooting 12 of 17 from the floor and 4 of 6 from 3-point range. It was part of a balanced effort from their stars that the Lakers surely envisioned when they traded for Dončić last season.
Dončić led the Lakers with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists. But as James had the hot hand down the stretch, he ceded the spotlight for James to close the 76ers out. On a roster two superstars — one in his prime and another on the back end of his career — it wasn’t clear how the on-court relationship between the two would evolve.
But the Lakers can beat opponents in multiple ways and not just with Dončić and James. Reaves kept the Lakers afloat with a sizzling early-season run as James and Dončić both missed time. And he delivered again on Thursday against the Raptors.
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It’s added up to a 17-6 start that’s good for second-place tie in the West with the Denver Nuggets behind the 23-1 Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers’ roster may not be as complete as those of its fellow Western Conference leaders. But it’s been strong enough at the top so far to maintain the Lakers’ place among the West’s best. And it’s proven capable of winning with James leading way or when he’s having a bad night.
