LeBron James is on an incredible scoring tear through the NBA. He is locked into an intense battle for the 2021-22 scoring title against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. However, his scoring exploits have to be massive to get his Lakers team to win games as they sit 10 games below .500.
Every game going forward is a high-stakes game for the Lakers, who are trying to position themselves for the play-in tournament. Against LeBron’s old team in the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Lakers walked out 131-120 winners on the night in Cleveland.
LeBron James extended his record over the Cavaliers to 16-1, with this marking his 13th consecutive win against the team. He led the Lakers with a 38-point triple-double with 11 rebounds and 12 assists. He spoke about his performance after the game and reiterated that his focus is just winning games for the Lakers.
"Just want to get a win. That's all that matters to me." – @KingJames pic.twitter.com/P3qZL5vr3J
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 22, 2022
“Just wanna get a win, that’s all that matters to me. To be able to play how we played, I was able to contribute a little bit to the dub. Finish the trip off. That’s all that f**king matters to me, excuse my language. We needed that one.”
The Lakers will need every win they can possibly get this season. If they win every single remaining game, they will end the season with 41 wins, which already guarantees that they cannot push for 6th place in the West. They are most likely going to have to fight up from the 9-10 matchup to make the playoff as an eighth seed and face the Phoenix Suns in a rematch from last season.
The team is waiting for Anthony Davis to return and be the answer to their defensive deficiencies, as LeBron has become the team’s one-man offense. With Russell Westbrook finally having a positive patch of form, the Lakers have something new to look forward to.
