LeBron James has seemingly done it all in the NBA, or so we thought. The 38-year-old’s first 20-20 performance helped the Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Memphis Grizzlies in overtime and take a 3-1 lead in their series.
“I’ve done some pretty cool things in my career,” King James said about his 22 points and 20 rebounds performance, which also made him the oldest player to ever post such a stat-line. “I’ve never had 20 and 20 before. So, that’s pretty cool, I guess.”
The victory did not come easy, especially with a less-than-stellar performance by Anthony Davis (12 points, 11 rebounds) throughout most of the game. However, the eight-time All-Star came through clutch with a huge block on Ja Morant’s attempted three-pointer at the close of the fourth quarter to send the game into an extra period.
James took over during the overtime period, icing the game with an and-one layup on newfound rival Dillon Brooks with 30 seconds to go. The Grizzlies made it tough through the duration of the game, backed by 36 points from Desmond Bane, a double-double from Jaren Jackson Jr., and 19 points from Morant.
Austin Reaves came up big for the Lakers once again, leading the team with 23 points. D’Angelo Russell added 17 points including three straight three-pointers to give the Lakers the lead in the fourth quarter before fouling out. Jarred Vanderbilt gave the team an early burst in the first quarter, finishing the game with 15 points overall.
The Los Angeles Lakers will have the opportunity to upset the No. 2 seeded Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday (April 26), which would be a huge moral victory following a tumultuous start to the season and doubts on whether they could even make the playoffs.
“The closeout game is always the hardest game of the series,” Bron said. “It’s the most tiring one. It’s the most brutal one. And we better be ready for it. And I think we’ll be ready for it.”