LeBron James stood outside the paint during the first quarter Saturday night at Staples Center, the Lakers’ season in as bad of a spot as it had been at any point, as he slumped over at his waist. His right arm dangled from his shoulder like cooked pasta as he tried to shake feeling into his fingers.
He had just been fouled and needed to shoot a free throw. But James looked over at the Lakers’ bench and shook his head, coach Frank Vogel quickly taking a timeout. James spent that break receiving treatment on his right arm, a massage gun quickly firing against the muscle, before he came back on the floor and made the free throw.
It was one point — one of 56 in one of the best games he has ever played.
With the Lakers desperately needing a win to breathe life into their postseason push and end a four-game losing streak, the 37-year-old James had his best offensive game as a Laker, defying age and eluding defenders and leading his team to a 124-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
After the game, he untucked his golden uniform. Streamers fell. He hugged Warriors star guard Stephen Curry. It wasn’t the NBA Finals — the Lakers are still forever away from those — but it was an all-time performance on a night when the Lakers needed one so badly.
James, one of the best ever, was again close to being at his best.
He slipped through Golden State’s defense and threw home a reverse one-handed slam. He drilled three-pointers and bullied for post-up scores in the paint. He got hot. He stayed hot.
He did it all — fittingly with Curry and the Warriors on the other side of the floor.
The Lakers, for the most part, were with him.
Russell Westbrook built off his success attacking the paint Thursday night against the Clippers by having one of his best offensive games since the new year, pushing to the rim against a Warriors defense that is badly missing Draymond Green.
And Carmelo Anthony, like James did in the first half, beat the buzzer to end the third quarter, the fans inside the Lakers’ home building showering them with cheers. Anthony sealed the win with a corner three-pointer, the building filling with cheers and an atmospheric sigh of relief.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
