LeBron James dropped 56 points on the Warriors Saturday night, leading the Lakers to a 124-116 win and ending a four-game losing streak, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. James shot 19-of-31 from the field, 6-of-11 from three, and 12-of-13 from the line while adding 10 rebounds and three assists in nearly 39 minutes of action.
The 56-point effort tied Trae Young‘s NBA season-high and is the most points LeBron has scored in a game for Los Angeles, Buha notes. James said he was just happy to get a win.
“It’s funny, our guys were following me off the floor tonight going into the locker room and they asked me, ‘How does it feel to score 56?’” James said. “I said, ‘Right now, I don’t give a damn about the 56. I’m just happy we got a win.’ That’s just literally the first thing that came to my mind.”
James’ spectacular performance was historic for a couple other reasons, Buha writes. He passed Karl Malone for the most combined regular season and postseason minutes, and became just the fourth player to record 50-plus points in a game at age 37 or older, joining Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Jamal Crawford.
“There’s really no words for it,” coach Frank Vogel said of James’ 56-point game. “An incredible performance by the best to ever do it, in my opinion, and as I’ve said.”
The Lakers have had an undeniably disappointing season, barely clinging to the No. 9 seed in the West with a 28-35 record, but James has been consistently great on offense. He’s now tied with Giannis Antetokounmpo for second in the league in scoring with 29.4 points per game, just a tenth of a point behind Joel Embiid‘s league-leading 29.5. It’s James’ highest scoring average since 2009/10.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- A source tells Marc Stein of Substack that James was a leading supporter of Alex Caruso and badly wanted the Lakers to re-sign him, but the team declined to offer Caruso a contract comparable to the four-year, $37MM deal he received from the Bulls last summer due to luxury tax concerns. Caruso was having a strong season for Chicago, but has played just 28 games to this point and is currently sidelined with a fractured right wrist.
- Appearing on NBA Today, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (video link) that the Lakers haven’t moved on from Vogel due to long-term injuries to Anthony Davis and Kendrick Nunn, and more importantly the front office doesn’t think that replacing Vogel would make a difference in the team’s performance. “(The Lakers) would like to get through the rest of this season with Frank Vogel,” Wojnarowski said.
- Prior to Saturday’s game, in an appearance on NBA Countdown (video link), Magic Johnson said the trade for Westbrook “could go down as the worst trade in Laker history” if L.A. is unable to advance past the play-in tournament.
- D.J. Augustin and Wenyen Gabriel are eager to make an impact with their new club, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. “I know they haven’t been playing up to everybody’s expectations, I would say,” Augustin said of the Lakers. “But it’s the NBA, and things happen. But we’re still in a good position where we can still have a chance. And that’s all you need in this league, is a chance.”
Let Westbrook play in China and get triple double every night and break every record. He will be happy!
i’d expect quadruple and some quintuple doubles and nothing less.
IMO
Lakers can still beat Suns in the first round
Lakers ceiling is 8th seed o
Prediction – If LBJ’s not wearing a Lakers uniform next year it will be a Warrior uniform not a Cavaliers
Not hidden is his admiration for Curry and likewise how’d they would play better.
A little extra juice may have been applied last night by LBJ to show GSW he’s worth the package (w signing a 2 yr ext) in the offseason
Haters will hate but they do already regardless , do anything you want LeBron just be concise and steady with the decision when you ultimately make it (which will have to be quick) .
Watching Kobe pile up loses late career was difficult, I think most Laker fans wouldn’t hold it against LBJ if he moved on for higher waters as we appreciate greatness and will be a mess next year ultimately wasting one of LBJ’s last great years
THAT will never happen because W’s already have Kerr as HC, and Myers as GM. Everyone knows Lebron is the HC and GM of Lakers. He even doesnt mind Westbrook because it takes pressure off him and he can just focus on scoring without stress. LBJ is done with winning – he’s into career scoring record, all star and all nba teams, making money on and off the court, and owning nba team when he retires.
Even if the rubbish you spilled were true people and priorities change every year
The Warriors and LBJ have one vital thing in common
– They both increase their title chances together, that’s how/why this gets done. They bolt up to the best team in the league next year….Are they that Now?
Not to mention how beautiful they’d be on the court, that dynamic ball movement would hit 6th gear nightly. Stephs looks get better, Klay will be wide open
I saw at least 90% of the Showtime Laker games when Magic was the catalyst. He was the best point guard I’ve ever seen – none close. He was the first to “pass guys open” – over a decade before NFL QB’s figured that out. And multiple times a year Chick Hearn would say: “Coach Riley has asked Magic to shoot more often”. Imagine a “point guard” doing that today – looking for an open teammate instead of giving up the ball because the clock is running down and he doesn’t have a shot.
Magic comes from another era. Where fans talked about how teams were playing and not how much money individual players were making and could make in the future.
The Lakers are no longer the Lakers. Maybe that will change in the future, they’ve lost their way at times in the past. They’re just another large market team trying to put together a Big 3 of overpaid veterans and then having to scrimp around to build a “supporting cast” because they don’t have much payroll space left.
Hard as it may be for him, Magic needs to stay back at this point as Jerry West has done at times and is doing now. He’s not wrong in his observations, but they won’t do any good and frustrated fans will dump on him.
I”magine a “point guard” doing that today – looking for an open teammate instead of giving up the ball because the clock is running down and he doesn’t have a shot.”
Rubio, Rondo, and of course, Simmons. all fit that pass first profile today.
Giddey and CP3 ……
Magic was the best.
Let’s not forget one of the best Point Guards today – Draymond Green! :)
Along with Denver’s 6’11” 284 lb PG who was asked to be more assertive because he passed his teammates instead of just scoring himself.
Melo and Lonzo Ball both look to pass first as well.
@ Cap & Crunch ;
James is not a fee agent. Cleveland is not about to give up 2-3 young, controlled, cheap, quality players and a couple of draft choices to get the guy.
In a way, the same for the Warriors. The Lakers need to build a young core of players. The Warriors are currently trying to do a rebuild on the fly. There’s no match there.
The truth is that James has painted himself into a corner. His son is a freshman in HS in the LA area – majoring in playing basketball. James is not about to move his family the next few years. He wants to win a championship? He best shot is with the Clippers. He can stay in LA and be a part of the unveiling of the Intuit Dome. The Clippers owner is lost. All he seems able to do is throw money around trying to win.
James can hope Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will be healthy the next year or two, and with an owner that will be happy to go over the salary cap to a point of being censured by the league they’ll pay “supporting cast” players to do the dirty work.
– James isn’t a FA, ya dont say
– Warriors are by no means rebuilding – The Wiggins match/upgrade will be done in the summer…can’t think of a better player than LBJ to fit that squad…there’s other deals, sure; but there {could} also be this one
Cle- would be giving up Lauri Sexton(S&T) and Okoro ….not much too miss for a top 10 player. They don’t fall off trees
Clippers have no above water assets, no picks , so No, that’s not even remotely feasible ….and the owner is very happy over the cap already if you didn’t notice
Painted into a corner- Kind of, but not really, I ultimately think he will stay (75%+) but if he were to leave GSW makes more sense than Cle and the Lakers get a better package from GSW than they would Cle so Im all about that
LeBron today is better than peak Draymond…Does that not sound like something that would at least warrant GSW’s attention? With a 2 yr extension to boot?
Very poor fit in W’s system and culture where you have to attend practices and meetings, and buy into the system. LBJ can either stay in LA or go find few teams that dont have GM, HC, or a culture. LBJ is an iconic figure who is no longer just a basketball player, and has his own agenda. No thank you.
When has LeBron not attended practices or meetings or messed up a system? Never….
System fit- I disagree 100% , LeBrons favorite play is reading the D, finding an open shooter, then Splash or Splash Bros in this instance . I think he’d fit like a glove
Michol thinks LJ should “accept his role” and play less. If he did that vs GSW, maybe he holds himself to 46 points instead of 56.
I never get people who will not give up bad ideas.
Comical. Lebron will only leave the Lakers to play with his son. I lived in Northern Cali for 15 unfortunate years. Never met one Warriors fan. Those “fans” couldn’t be more fairweather.
Fans ain’t appreciating the greatness of LBJ right now!
Dude is like in the MVP convo at age 37 & playing at his highest level ever… again at 37!!!
I’m glad I’ve been privileged to see Lebron’s whole career, an unbelievable player. I don’t get into ‘who’s the best’ discussions because they’re totally irrelevant given that all of the names tossed around played in different eras.
I can’t help but feel these last few years have dampened his legacy. From the last couple of years in Cleveland and these past years in L.A I never got the sense he was part of a team. It was just James doing his thing surrounded by ring chasers. I think he would have really cemented a lasting relationship with Laker fans had he taken the time to develop the young team he signed with as a free agent. That impatience to be in the record books is what I think people find off-putting.
That could have been a lineup of some combination of Ball, Ingram, Randle, Kuzma, Zubac, Caruso, Hart, Wagner, Payton Jr. etc. Preferable to the current team and would have proved ‘James makes his teammates better’.
jbl sounds like your pet peeve is AD not LJ.
The some combination part is easier said than done 1 mistep leads to 2 etc
There was probably always a consolidation trade brewing
As X states it’s more of a reflection on how much AD has left on the table the last 2 years. He stays healthy the tune changes.
What are you watching? He brought a championship to the Lakers. At 37 he is putting up MVP numbers. The guy is definitely a freak of nature. I said that in the most positive way possible.
The cynicism of old man Sam is impossible to match by someone who enjoys watching NBA and has not given up on it.
BTW the phrase “throwing the receiver open” occured in the NFL long before it was coined that way… it just was not called that. The “innovation” was just the phrase invention.
Dan Fouts of the Chargers 1973-1987 (Don Coryell HC), was said to complete passes to covered receivers, by the receivers bending their routes deeper after cutting when the ball was still in the air, and Fouts throwing high. This was by the early 80s, mostly before “showtime”, though Magic J may have been throwing bounce passes so they bounce high before that (his thing).
Soccer players of course have been “passing” receivers open as a normal skill for many decades before.
As usual, when Samuel posts, corrections to his lies have to be made or people are misinformed.
Also there are many pass-first PGs and many who are encouraged to shoot more. It depends on shooting skill. Magic J of course was challenged in that area, so passing to Wilkes, Jabbar, Worthy, etc. was a better option.
And after its all over… So what? Samuel adds nothing but a guy whose time has passed… even if the story is true.
The Dodgers pay luxury tax. The Rams would if that was a thing in the NFL. Lakers should be ashamed of themselves for not wanting to pay it. They are a primer franchise.
Lakers two big concerns.
1. Getting rid of Russ
2. LeBron being old and potentially leaving relatively soon
Your going to need a core or atleast something once Bron leaves. Without him your literally nothing. So you need to get a haul of multiple pieces for Russ and preferably not all old guys.
My ideas
1. The ideal rebuild
Lakers- Randle, Fouriner, Kemba, White and Noel
Knicks- Russ, Vuce and a first (LA)
Bulls- AD and Nunn
2. The simple reload
Lakers-Randle Walker and either Noel or Burks
Knicks-Russ and 2 seconds
3. The obvious option
Lakers- Wall and Wood
Rockets- Russ, Nunn and a first
4. Absolutely dreaming
Lakers- Kyrie
Nets- Russ and 2 first round picks
1 deal is just simply and make sense. Lakers get a bunch of new player and all seem to be a better fit. Knicks I think would be very happy and Bulls would be happy. AD himself would be happy and I think Russ would be happy too.
Second deal is just if Chicago isn’t interested but then at the same time AD and Randle aren’t a fit and you’d then likely see one of them moved on again in another trade.
Third deal is similar to what the teams divided at the deadline. Lakers didn’t want to include a first and fair enough. They come back in the offseason and say okay we will give you the first and either Nunn or THT if you throw in Wood who would have an expiring deal and for the Rockets in a rebuild would not be in the long term plans and unlikely resigned anyway. They then choose Nunn over THT.
The last deal is just a dream. But if Kyrie decides hey sorry KD but we can’t win a chip I’m going back to Bron. Kyrie Bron and AD make the big three. Russ and KD link up again plus another couple first round picks. Very very very unlikely but just an idea
What I really want to see is that Rockets have Westbrook and Wall on the back court.
Westbrook and picks for Wood and Gordon.
Front court
Davis, Wood and LeBron
Back court Gordon and maybe Ball
Lakers save tax
What is your obsession with the tax about? How would they land Ball?
liangelo.
Depending of Nets results this year, Lakers could trade LBJ and AD for Simons and Joe Harris and Curry.