LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 116-104 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night. James had one of the best shooting outings of his storied career, going 9 for 10 from beyond the arc to tie his career high for 3-pointers and matching a season high with 40 points.
James completed his 3-point shooting exhibition in the fourth quarter, leaving the sold-out Barclays Center audience standing. This season, he has scored 40 points three times; the last time he did so was on March 16 against Golden State at home.
With seven games left in the regular season, the Lakers have won five of their last six and are now nine games over.500 for the season. Los Angeles was still ranked ninth in the Western Conference, but the Lakers had a chance to move up to eighth place in the West or seventh place in the Sacramento Kings’ standings, which would have eliminated them from the single-elimination No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game.
The 39-year-old NBA career scoring leader James can accomplish almost anything if he plays another game like this in the postseason.
As the Lakers played the fourth game of a six-game road trip, they bounced back from a setback Friday night at Indiana that ended their five-game winning streak. The 20-time All Star finished 13 for 17 overall.
Rui Hachimura scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, while Anthony Davis contributed 24 points and 14 rebounds. The Lakers dominated the game from the start, leading by 20 points in the first quarter. In the second half, Brooklyn’s deficit was only within double digits on one occasion. With thirty points, Cam Thomas led the Nets.
Of the Lakers’ 116 points, 114 came from their starting lineup.
On January 24, 2023, James also made nine 3-pointers, going 9 for 14 against the Clippers. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, in games where he made at least five 3-pointers, his 90% accuracy was the second-best of his career. Against Oklahoma City on December 23 of this season, he was 5 for 5.
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Even nevertheless, the gap quickly increased to 20 points when there were 4 ½ minutes remaining in the first quarter, and the Barclays Center audience became silent as the Nets were dropping this specific Easter egg. After one quarter, the Lakers led 31–10 as Brooklyn shot 4–21 and was outrebounded 21–11.
Throughout the third and fourth quarters, James held the Nets at bay by himself with three-pointers. His eighth of the game came as he was falling to his left from the corner, giving the Lakers a 108-91 advantage.
On the following possession, James found himself alone against Claxton on the perimeter. He repeatedly dribbled between his legs before sinking his ninth three-pointer to make the score 111-93.