LeBron James hit one of his classic ‘LeF***You’ three-pointers during the Lakers win over the Clippers, disregarding Ivica Zubac guarding him on the perimeter and telling the camera that he’s a bad man after sinking the shot.
“I’m a bad man.”
LeBron James: "I'm a bad man." pic.twitter.com/QI6smLt6m1
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) November 2, 2023
James ended the game with a sensational statline of 35 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. He led the Lakers from the opening tip tonight, keeping them away from a blowout first half with his buckets and contributing throughout the second half even as Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves started to come alive.
LeBron is shattering expectations in Year 21 of his career and shattered an 11-game losing streak against the Clippers with this win tonight. Both LA teams are 3-2 to start the season, but the Clippers will soon be welcoming James Harden into their roster, with many already placing them above the Lakers in title odds.
Lakers Vs. Clippers Was A Fantastic Game
There were a lot of reasons to be concerned about the quality of basketball heading into the first matchup between the Clippers and Lakers this season. The Clippers were coming off a back-to-back against the Orlando Magic in Orlando and are bereft of bench depth with an injury to Terance Mann and four players being shipped out for James Harden.
The Lakers also came into this game without rotational players like Taurean Prince and Gabe Vincent, along with an already heavy minutes schedule for both LeBron and Anthony Davis. Despite the Clippers getting off to a massive lead, staying ahead of the Lakers by 11 points at halftime, the Lakers came storming back in the second half.
Not only was the quality of basketball high, but both teams were fighting for the win. Ultimately, the fatigue wore the Clippers down in the second half and they couldn’t compete with a fresh Lakers squad, even if they were slightly depleted in numbers.
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers in scoring in this OT loss with 38 points. Paul George chipped in with 36 points while Russell Westbrook had 24 points and 11 rebounds in a revenge game where he was booed by the Laker faithful before the game.
Can LeBron Sustain This Level Of Play?
LeBron has averaged 34.0 minutes through the first four games of the season and is heading into their second OT game already against the Clippers. He ended up playing 42 minutes tonight, laughing in the face of the minutes’ restriction that held him out of the first game of the season.
James’ play on the court is baffling everyone, with direct rival Jayson Tatum commenting on it with a social media post after the Lakers pulled this win off.
“The sh*t Bron is doing is ridiculous lol.”
The shit Bron is doing is ridiculous lol
— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) November 2, 2023
To put into perspective how insane LeBron has been playing in Year 21, we need to remember what players this deep into an NBA career have been able to do. There have only been six players to play this far into an NBA career, with the highest scorer averaging 7.4 points per game.
James is averaging 9.8 points per game in the fourth quarter alone. His season average so far is 24.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists, which puts him well on pace for another All-NBA appearance at the end of the season. This is unseen and may never happen again, so we must appreciate these LeBron moments as much as we can.
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