For LeBron, another historic 40-point night in Lakers’ win
PORTLAND — Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick said his team didn’t get to its hotel in Portland until nearly 3 a.m. Thursday after flying from L.A. following their game against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.
The prospect of playing the Trail Blazers on the road on the second night of a back-to-back with Luka Doncic out to manage his left calf injury and LeBron James questionable because of a left foot and ankle injury of his own was daunting to Redick.
Then again, maybe Redick should have counted on James delivering the way he has done throughout his 22-year career after the 40-year-old Lakers star dropped 40 points to lead L.A. to a 110-102 win.
“He really just defies anything that’s normal,” Redick said. “And not just the physical feats and the plays. It’s the mentality. … He’s a billionaire. And he’s playing on the second night of a back-to-back at 40 after 22 years with every fricking record and every accolade. … It’s like, he’s amazing to coach. … He sets the standard for how you’re supposed to approach this craft.”
James, when asked about his motivation to continue pushing his body through the rigorous NBA schedule when he’s already accomplished everything imaginable in the sport, pointed to passing on that standard to his son, Lakers rookie Bronny James.
“I still love the game and I still got a lot to give to the game, to give to my teammates, to give to this league for while I’m here,” James said. “I don’t have much time left. So, while I’m here today in this time, I’m going to try to give what I got when I’m out on the floor.
“So, why? It’s the love of the game and I have an opportunity now to show my son the ranks of how to be a professional in this league. And to be along [with] him every single day, that’s a treat.”
It was James’ second time reaching 40 points since his 40th birthday in December, making him the only player in NBA history with multiple 40-point games at age 40 or older. The Lakers are 2-0 in those games.
James did it Thursday while playing in the 1,542nd regular season game of his career, passing Vince Carter for No. 3 on the all-time list.
He also tied a career-high with 11 turnovers, the third time in his career he has committed double-digit turnovers. His teams are, surprisingly, undefeated in those games too, going 3-0.
Redick said the Lakers played with a proper edge, winning their game with their effort while overcoming a 9-for-32 (28.1%) shooting night from 3-point range, a bunch of turnovers and Doncic’s absence.
“There’s actually only one cheat code in the NBA, and that’s playing hard,” Redick said. “If you play hard every night, you have a chance to win. If you don’t play hard every night, you’re probably going to lose.”
James agreed.
“That’s the best way to play in this league,” he said. “The best way to compete in this league is to play hard. You can get through a lot of games if you’re able to just play hard. You’re able to cover up for a lot of mistakes. We had 24 turnovers for 31 points. I had half of those. … It definitely makes up for it when you’re able to cover for one other and you’re able to play hard. It’s going to help us win a lot of ballgames.”
Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who had 32 points and seven assists and made several key defensive plays down the stretch, said he was excited to hear that James was going to play against Charlotte and Portland after he missed the All-Star game because of his left foot injury. James’ mere presence gave Reaves confidence in L.A.’s chances.
“He really doesn’t have anything else to prove,” Reaves said. “And if people say he does, then they’re [Michael] Jordan fans.”
ATLANTA — Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young had some pointed comments about the officials following Atlanta’s 114-108 loss to the Orlando Magic on Thursday night.
Young, who was tagged with a technical foul early in the fourth quarter, said the officiating was “one-sided” in the matchup of teams jockeying for playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference.
“They shot 10 more free throws than us,” Young said. “And I mean, I feel like if you asked anybody around the league, you would know that they’re probably a more physical team that we are, and the way we drove. I mean, even some of the guys are laughing when they weren’t calling fouls.”
The Hawks were whistled for 25 fouls and the Magic 22, but Orlando had 38 free throw attempts to Atlanta’s 28. The Hawks were also called for three technical fouls and the Magic one.
Several calls early in the fourth quarter against the Hawks led to exchanges between the officials and Young and some of his teammates. Young picked up a technical after being called for a foul with 10:59 remaining, then was whistled for two more fouls inside the next minute.
He finished with 38 points and five assists.
“You just wish that you can get some refs that just don’t take things personal and understand that people grow,” Young said. “I’m not 19 anymore. I can communicate with these people, and I have with a lot of the refs. I feel like the refs have been responsive for the most part. But then you get a few, a handful that, like we get tonight, that are just, I mean, take [stuff] personal, and you can see it by the way they make their calls.”
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The Portland Trail Blazers played from behind most of the night after the Los Angeles Lakers rushed out to a 13-point, first-round lead on their way to a 110-102 win at the Moda Center on Thursday night.
Scoot Henderson knocked down a 3-pointer to close the margin to five points midway through the fourth quarter and Toumani Camara powered down an alley-oop to close the gap to 102-98 with less than three minutes to play.
But the Blazers were never able to grab the upper hand, as the Lakers hit all six of their free throws down the stretch.
LeBron James finished with a game-high 40 points, while Austin Reaves added 32 points.
Deni Avdija led the Blazers with 28 points.
Portland (23-33) returns to the Moda Center at 7 p.m. Saturday to face Charlotte.
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The Lakers are looking for answers when it comes to maximizing their star trio. For the star duo of LeBron James and Austin Reaves, things were a little less cluttered Thursday night as the pair took turns dragging the Lakers to a much-needed win after awful back-to-back losses.
James and Reaves made the biggest shots, got the biggest stops and, on a night when they didn’t have Luka Doncic, pushed the Lakers to a 110-102 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
James scored 40 on the second night of a back-to-back and Reaves added 32, both players also getting key stops as Portland (23-33) pushed in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers’ fight to win, particularly from James and Reaves, left coach JJ Redick in awe, pouring praise on his leaders.
Read more: Hernández: The Lakers are struggling. Can JJ Redick help them find their footing?
“He really just defies anything that’s normal. And not just the physical feats and the plays. It’s the mentality,” Redick said about James. “He’s, I believe I saw the other day, he’s a billionaire. And he’s playing on the second night of a back-to-back at 40 after 22 years with every fricking record and every accolade. … He’s one of the greatest competitors.
“And Nate [McMillan, assistant] and I were talking about it before the game. It’s like, he’s amazing to coach. He brings it every single day. … He sets the standard for how you’re supposed to approach this craft. And that’s to me the most incredible thing. It’s just a mindset to do it, get up the next day, do it, get up the next day, do it over and over again.”
So why not take the night off?
“Because I still love the game and I still got a lot to give to the game, to give to my teammates, to give to this league for while I’m here,” James said. “I don’t have much time left. So, while I’m here today in this time, I’m going to try to give what I got when I’m out on the floor. So, why? It’s the love of the game and I have an opportunity now to show my son the ranks of how to be a professional in this league. And to be along [with] him every single day, that’s a treat.”
And in Reaves, Redick has a player who fought constantly against a Portland team that tried to bully him off the ball, sustaining a cut on his shoulder in the process. Reaves made a trio of huge defensive plays in the fourth quarter to help keep the Lakers ahead.
“He’s going to give you every ounce of competitive juice that he has every single night,” Redick said. “That’s really what it comes down to.”
The version of the Lakers that will finish this season is nowhere close to being decided. They’re stuck between the version that worked its way to 10 games above .500 and the one they committed to when they traded Anthony Davis and Max Christie for Doncic.
Doncic, who has appeared in three games since Christmas, is expected to play in back-to-backs moving forward, with Redick saying the team is just being cautious in the guard’s return from a calf strain.
“Speaking with him Tuesday night after practice, we sat down together. He’s all in,” Redick said of Doncic. “He’s [over] the mental part of the shock and everything, he’s in a really good place. And now we’ve got to get him physically where he needs to be to be Luka.”
Doncic and Jarred Vanderbilt are on track to play Saturday in Denver.
Read more: Kobe Bryant greets Laker Luka Doncic in new L.A. mural based off 2019 meeting at game
The Lakers (33-21) still are waiting for Doncic to get into some kind of rhythm after his extended absence, though Redick said the team is focused on finding ways for James, Reaves and Doncic to shine together.
“It’s all of us. It’s not just the staff. It’s the players too. It’s them and us working together to find the balance to allow our three best players to be at their best,” Redick said. “You’ve seen this happen a million times in the NBA. It doesn’t happen in three games. It might not happen in three months. That’s just the reality of how these things work. We’re all committed to making it work. I think we can all be a little more organized.”
But the fight the Lakers showed Thursday, as they worked off rust from the All-Star break coupled with fatigue from one of the toughest back-to-backs on the NBA schedule, flying from Charlotte to Portland, is something they can build upon.
“The best way to compete in this league is to play hard,” James said. “You can get through a lot of games if you’re able to just play hard. You’re able to cover up for a lot of mistakes.”
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James’ assessment on what it takes to win in the NBA was echoed by his coach.
“I had this revelation, like I don’t know, six weeks ago, two months ago,” Redick said. “And the math stuff, it’s important. Like it really is. Try to generate high-value shots. You strategize around throw-aheads and what those create, like all that stuff. It’s super important. Game plan defensively, it’s all important. Guys have to communicate, all that stuff. There’s actually only one cheat code in the NBA, and that’s playing hard. If you play hard every night, you have a chance to win. If you don’t play hard every night, you’re probably going to lose.
“…You give yourself a chance to win every night if you play hard.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
